COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new affordable houses are planned to be built in each of the next five years.

Yvette Cooper: We are planning to provide 30,000 social rented homes in 2007-08 and expect to help 160,000 households to access home ownership through private or public shared equity schemes by 2010.
	The number of homes to be provided each year from 2008-09 will be subject to the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.

Energy Performance Certificates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1814W, on energy performance certificates, what the basis is for expecting the price of certificates to vary according to the location of a property.

Yvette Cooper: The cost of an energy performance certificate is expected to vary according to the location of a property as this may influence things like local energy assessor labour rates and some areas may experience greater competition than others. The eventual price of an energy performance certificate will be set by the market and not by Government.

Energy Performance Certificates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1814W, on energy performance certificates, what estimate her Department has made of the  (a) average cost,  (b) minimum cost and  (c) maximum cost of a certificate.

Yvette Cooper: The statutory instrument to set out requirements for energy performance certificates is scheduled to be laid before Parliament in due course and the regulatory impact assessment to support this is in preparation. Contributing to this will be the outcome of trials undertaken to assess the indicative costs of producing certificates for a range of building types, sizes and locations. The eventual price of an energy performance certificate will be set by the market and not by Government.

Government Auctions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government where her Department publishes information about Government auctions which it arranges or to which it contributes in  (a) Blackpool,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) the north- west; and when the next such auction will take place in each area.

Angela Smith: The Department does not arrange auctions in Blackpool, Lancashire or the north-west. Information about auctions that it may have contributed to could be found only at disproportionate cost.
	The policy of the Department is to use the MOD Disposals Sales Agency to facilitate the sale and/or auctioning of any substantial amounts of surplus equipment.

Housing: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what temporary housing provision was made available to the homeless in Chorley constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level. The constituency of Chorley covers the whole of Chorley borough council.
	Information reported each quarter by local authorities about their activities under homelessness legislation includes the number of households in temporary accommodation on the last day of the quarter, and the types of temporary accommodation. The figures include both those households who have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty, and those for which inquiries are pending.
	Data are published in our quarterly statistical release on statutory homelessness, which includes a supplementary table showing the breakdown of key data, including temporary accommodation and type, by each local authority. These are published on our website each quarter (the latest—July to September 2006—can be found at the following address:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/60/Supplementary tables_id1505060.xls, and the tables have also been placed in the Library of the House.
	Data provided include the total number in temporary accommodation for each year, broken down between bed and breakfast, hostel, local authority/registered social landlord stock, private sector leased and other types of housing.
	A summary table showing the total number of households in temporary accommodation, from 1997-98 to 2005-06, for each local authority (including Chorley) was placed in the Library in October 2006, in response to PQ 8631 (Chris Ruane)—Table B.
	In January 2005 the Government set a target of halving the number of households in all forms of temporary accommodation used by local authorities to discharge their main duty under the homelessness legislation.

Local Government

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what Tamworth borough council's net budget is.

Phil Woolas: The budget requirement for Tamworth borough council in 2006-07 is £9.1 million.
	Budget requirement is that part of the estimated net revenue expenditure, calculated in advance of each year by each local authority, to be met from formula grant and from council tax income.

Mental Health

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures she is taking to promote actively the employment within  (a) her Department and  (b) public sector bodies for whom she has responsibility of people with mental illnesses in line with the advice and codes of practice produced by the Disability Rights Commission.

Angela Smith: Under the disability equality duty introduced by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the public sector bodies for which I am responsible are required to publish and implement disability equality schemes. These are plans setting out how we will carry out the disability equality duty, monitor, and report on progress. In particular this includes our arrangements for gathering information on the effect of our policies and practices on the recruitment, development and retention of our disabled employees, including those with mental health conditions, and making use of that information.
	The arrangements are set out in my Department's disability equality scheme with the priority given to improving and providing correct infrastructure to enable disabled staff to work effectively. The scheme also provides guidance for the Department's managers on how to support the needs of disabled staff.
	The public sector bodies sponsored by my Department that are subject to these requirements are responsible for publishing and implementing their own disability equality schemes.

Roadside Advertisements

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with local authorities on removing unauthorised roadside advertisements.

Yvette Cooper: I have written to the leaders of councils where unauthorised roadside advertisements remain a problem to underline the need for action to get them removed. Officials have had three meetings and corresponded with local planning authorities about removing unlawful advertisements alongside motorways and trunk roads. Officials are working with local planning authorities to set up an unlawful advertisements and fly-posting database which will record details of successful prosecutions and help local planning authorities to successfully prosecute offenders. Phase 1 is expected to be operating by 31 March.

Social Housing

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average grant per unit for low-cost  (a) home ownership and  (b) rented social housing was (i) nationally and (ii) in each region in each of the last three years.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows the average grant per unit for both low-cost home ownership and social rented homes for each region and nationally for the 2004-06 and 2006-08 Housing Corporation Affordable Housing Programmes at the time these programmes were allocated. The level of grant will be affected by the kinds of projects and units built and the extent of section 106 contributions, as well as the cost of construction.
	
		
			  Low-cost home ownership 
			  £ 
			   2006-08  2004-06 
			 East Midlands 20,252 21,690 
			 East of England 14,864 23,230 
			 London 42,625 46,792 
			 North East 18,725 34,517 
			 North West 34,114 30,506 
			 South East 18,724 26,913 
			 South West 18,695 18,537 
			 West Midlands 20,278 31,605 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 26,643 28,619 
			 National 26,772 29,157 
		
	
	
		
			  Social rent 
			  £ 
			   2006-08  2004-06 
			 East Midlands 43,986 43,753 
			 East of England 39,571 48,215 
			 London 101,270 100,932 
			 North East 60,449 57,831 
			 North West 63,580 63,841 
			 South East 54,637 58,939 
			 South West 43,534 41,021 
			 West Midlands 49,705 56,248 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 52,901 53,093 
			 National 62,620 58,208 
			  Source:  Housing Corporation

Turner Village Hospital

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the sale of the former Turner Village Hospital in Colchester.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 11 January 2007
	The former Turner Village Hospital in Colchester is one of the sites included in the portfolio of 96 sites acquired by English Partnerships on 6 April 2005 from the Department of Health and forms part of the agency's Hospital Sites Programme.
	English Partnerships announced on 20 December 2006 its decision to select Galliford Try Partnerships as its preferred developer for this site. We anticipate completion of the sale by the end of February 2007 with construction on site expected to begin in the autumn.
	The scheme will comprise 430 homes of which 107 (25 per cent.) are designated as affordable either for sale under a shared equity scheme or for rent.
	All new homes on the site will meet or exceed English Partnerships' design and quality standards, including EcoHomes "Excellent", Secured by Design and Lifetime Homes. Additionally, as part of this redevelopment, Galliford Try Partnerships Limited will provide Essex county council with a site for a much needed 330-place primary school.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 474W, on the Valuation Office Agency, if she will give a current example of a code EF  (a) functional factor and  (b) economic factor associated with dwellings that have value significance.

Phil Woolas: Code EF is available to use as a Value Significant Code (VSC) within the Valuation Office Agency's (VOA's) dwellinghouse coding system. It allows members of VOA staff to flag up that a property's value might be influenced by a functional/economic factor. An example of where a code EF has been applied is where a property or group of properties is close to an industrial area, which might affect value to an extent that it/they should be differentiated from other similar properties in the wider locality.

WALES

Departmental Offices

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what area of office space his Department and its agencies used in central London in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office occupies one building in London, Gwydyr House, which affords 675 sq m; one room on the ground floor is used by the National Assembly for Wales. From September 2004 to June 2006 we also occupied space in Dover House of 110 sq m and during that period the National Assembly used two ground floor rooms in Gwydyr House.

HM Revenue and Customs

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met the Paymaster General to discuss proposals to reorganise HM Revenue and Customs offices in Wales.

Peter Hain: My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State met the Paymaster General on 15 January to discuss the HM Revenue and Customs Change Programme and its impact on Wales.

Open Source Software

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of his Department's computer systems use open source software; what percentage of the systems planned to be installed use such software; and whether he plans to increase the use of open source software in his Department.

Peter Hain: All computer systems in the Wales Office are supplied by the Department for Constitutional Affairs under its contracts. Figures for the Wales Office could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Commission Review

David Taylor: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what assessment the Speaker's Committee has made of the recommendations of the Committee on Standards in Public Life on the Electoral Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Viggers: The Speaker's Committee supported the Committee on Standards in Public Life in undertaking this review of the role and governance of the Electoral Commission. As I told the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton on 19 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1398W, the Speaker's Committee will give careful consideration to the recommendations made in the CSPL report, a number of which are specifically addressed to it. The report was, however, published only recently, and the Speaker's Committee has not yet had an opportunity to form a considered view on it.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

British Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of food served in buildings occupied by his Department was of British origin in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Gareth Thomas: All procurement within DFID is undertaken in line with the EC's procurement rules and to obtain value for money for the Department. Precise records are not maintained, but taking account of seasonal variations, our caterers estimate that 60 per cent. of produce served was of British origin in both 2005 and 2006.

HIV/AIDS and TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure that efforts to address HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis are co-ordinated.

Gareth Thomas: DFID supports country-led national AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) control programmes in a number of high HIV prevalence countries. DFID also made significant contributions to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria which supports country programmes for AIDS and TB. The UK has committed £359 million to the Fund for 2002-07, including £100 million for 2006 and the same for 2007, subject to performance. We have also made a long-term commitment to UNITAID, the new international drug purchase facility, scaling up to £40 million per year by 2010, subject to performance. These initiatives provide countries with access to increasing resources for scaling up HIV and TB interventions.
	Most countries with HIV and TB co-epidemics already have national plans to address these epidemics in increasingly co-ordinated programmatic ways and many have also finalised universal access plans to dramatically scale up these responses. Scaling up access to antiretroviral therapy offers opportunities to better control TB and has been shown to decrease the incidence of TB by 70-80 per cent. in people already infected with HIV.
	DFID is contributing to strengthening national health systems to scale up the delivery of basic services to the poor that include TB and HIV prevention and treatment. An example of this is the Malawi Emergency Human Resources Programme that is making more health workers available to deal with increasing numbers of patients who are infected with both HIV and TB.
	DFID is also funding research working to identify better ways to deliver services tackling the co-epidemics. We are also supporting the work of WHO, for example the STOP TB programme, which is supporting countries to develop co-ordinated HIV and TB responses.

Indonesia

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid he is giving to Indonesia following the earthquake on Sulawesi Island.

Gareth Thomas: On 21 January, an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale occurred under the Molucca sea, 110 miles east of Manado, Sulawesi Island. News reports, both local and international, indicate that the earthquake did not cause serious damage. Some buildings in Manado reportedly suffered cracks. Four deaths and four injuries were reported.
	DFID has been monitoring the situation, and has been prepared to respond if necessary. The Indonesian Government have not requested international assistance.

Middle East

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the numbers of displaced Palestinians in  (a) Iraq and  (b) at temporary refugee camps at (i) Ruwayshid in Jordan, (ii) El Hol in Syria and (iii) Al Tanf on the Iraq-Syria border; and what assistance is provided to them by (A) the UN High Commission for Refugees and (B) other international bodies.

Hilary Benn: UNHCR estimate there are 15,000 Palestinians remaining in Iraq, less than half the estimated figure in 2003. We believe the majority of these are based in Baghdad. Latest reports from UNHCR estimate that there are 119 refugees in Ruwayshid camp, Jordan, 420 in Al Tanf camp, Syria and 340 in El Hol camp, Syria. UNHCR is extremely concerned by these disturbing developments and will take up the issue with the Iraqi authorities. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), with UNHCR support is preparing delivery of relief items including tents, blankets, mattresses, lanterns, kitchen sets, stoves and plastic sheets. Water, kerosene and food are already available.
	The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is providing schooling, medical services, and basic social services to the 352 Palestinian refugees in Al Tanf camp between Syria and Iraq. UNRWA is also providing some educational activities and contributing to a knitting workshop to the 319 refugees who are in the temporary camp of El Hol in the north-east of Syria. During 2006, the Department for International Development (DFID) provided more than £15 million in funding support to UNRWA's work among refugees in the Middle East and also signed a Memorandum of Understanding providing UNRWA with £76.6 million of funding over the next four years.
	In addition, DFID has just announced a £4 million contribution to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to continue to provide emergency assistance, including water, medical supplies and rehabilitation of health infrastructure. This brings our total humanitarian contribution for Iraq to over £120 million since 2003. We are also considering the UNHCR's appeal to help refugees in neighbouring countries. Above all the first priority of the Iraqi Government must be to end the violence that is causing this situation, with the support of the international community and the region.

Middle East

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the numbers of displaced Palestinians in Baghad; and what assessment he has made of their situation and humanitarian needs.

Hilary Benn: UNHCR estimate there are 15,000 Palestinians remaining in Iraq, less than half the estimated figure in 2003. We believe the majority of these are based in Baghdad where many face sectarian attacks and are increasingly vulnerable. UNHCR is extremely concerned by these disturbing developments and will take up the issue with the Iraqi authorities. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), with UNHCR support is preparing delivery of relief items including tents, blankets, mattresses, lanterns, kitchen sets, stoves and plastic sheets. Water, kerosene and food are already available.
	DFID has just announced a £4 million contribution to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to continue to provide emergency assistance, including water, medical supplies and rehabilitation of health infrastructure. This brings our total humanitarian contribution for Iraq to over £120 million since 2003. We are also considering the UNHCR's appeal to help refugees in neighbouring countries. Above all the first priority of the Iraqi Government must be to end the violence that is causing this situation, with the support of the international community and the region.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1466W, on retirement age, what the evidential basis is for applying age-based work force planning.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not apply age-based work force planning. Retirement dates are just one of the factors we consider in work force planning to allow managers and human resources division to plan for loss of skills and succession.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1466W, on retirement age, on what grounds requests to work beyond 65 have been denied since establishment of the procedure; what criteria are used in making such decisions; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID expects there to be few staff due to retire at age 65 between now and 2011. We have calculated the numbers to be less than five in each year for 2007 and 2008. DFID has not set criteria for making decisions to deny requests to work beyond age 65. To date, there has been no usage of the 'right to request' procedure.

Uganda

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance he has made available  (a) bilaterally and  (b) through the world food programme to those experiencing drought in Karamoja, Uganda.

Hilary Benn: DFID has recently pledged £6 million for the world food programme's (WFP) emergency activities in Uganda during 2007. This money will be used by WFP to purchase food locally for distribution to drought affected people in Karamoja and people in northern Uganda who are internally displaced as a result of the conflict involving the Lord's Resistance Army.
	DFID has also recently committed £4.7 million towards a joint UN emergency health programme in both northern Uganda and in areas of Karamoja where high mortality rates have been reported. Just over £750,000 of this money has been allocated by the UN agencies for specific activities in the Karamoja region.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biofuels

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to increase the opportunities for British farmers to produce biofuels.

Ian Pearson: The Government support the production of biofuels as part of our overall strategy for improving sustainability and reducing the impact of climate change. We are aware of the potential for agriculture and are working closely with farmers and industry to develop markets and promote uptake.
	The production and use of biofuels is incentivised by a 20 pence per litre duty rate cut for biodiesel and bioethanol, which has been extended to 2008-09. To further develop the supply of biofuels, a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) will be introduced in April 2008, which will require five per cent. of fuel sold in the UK to come from a renewable source by 2010.
	A number of companies are building, or planning to build, biofuel processing plants in the UK which will use UK-grown crops such as oilseed rape, wheat and sugar beet as feedstocks. The Home-Grown Cereals Authority and the Renewable Energy Association have recently held a series of regional biofuel workshops across England aimed at helping to develop a UK biofuels industry. The workshops covered Government policy, local activities and opportunities for farmers.
	Farmers can claim the Single Payment for biofuel crops grown on set-aside land or where the €45 per hectare energy aid payment is claimed for crops on non-set-aside land. The development of second generation biofuels should offer opportunities in the future to use feedstocks such as grasses and woody biomass.

Biofuels

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the areas of unproductive agricultural land which may be suitable for growing crops to make biofuels; and what financial support or subsidies are available to land owners interested in growing feedstock for biofuels.

Ian Pearson: Agricultural land taken out of production is termed set-aside. The European Union (EU) permits the growing of crops on set-aside for industrial uses and energy production. Between 560,000 and 800,000 hectares of land have been set-aside in the UK over the last 10 years. While this may in some cases represent some of the least productive land on farms, it is all capable of supporting arable production. In 2005, 14.5 per cent. of set-aside land was used for industrial crop production, the vast majority of which was for energy end uses. It is anticipated that this figure will grow significantly as the demand for transport biofuels increases.
	Farmers growing energy crops on set-aside are entitled to receive the single farm payment. In addition, where crops are grown for energy uses on non set-aside land, growers can claim the EU's €45 per hectare energy aid payment. From 2007, under the Rural Development Programme for England, the Government have given a commitment to support energy crops.
	The development of second generation biofuels should offer greater opportunities to utilise crops such as grasses and woody biomass grown on marginal land.

Carbon Offsetting

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish benchmarks to assist those interested in choosing the most environmentally beneficial carbon offsetting schemes.

Ian Pearson: Defra launched a consultation on a voluntary code of best practice for the provision of carbon offsetting to customers on 18 January.
	The Government's standard for carbon offsetting would be based on the use of certified credits from the established Kyoto market, through sources such as the UN's Clean Development Mechanism. These credits are backed by an international framework and institutions to ensure that real emission reductions take place, as well as providing a clear audit trail.
	The code of practice proposes that offset providers supply consumers with clear information and transparent prices. Defra plans to support the standard by providing guidance to consumers on offsetting, which will also help consumers to make informed decisions about their actions.

Cloned Farm Animals

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to ban the entry of cloned farm animals into the UK; what regulations he plans to put in place to control domestic production of cloned farm animals; and what consultation he proposes on this issue.

Barry Gardiner: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 restricts cloning in the UK to licensed procedures and animals protected under this Act could not be used for farming purposes. Animal welfare legislation ensures the health and welfare of all livestock reared in England by both natural and artificial breeding methods.
	Products derived from cloned animals (or from animals descended from clones) are subject to the provisions of the European Commission (EC) Novel Foods Regulation. Before marketing such products, an expert assessment of their safety for the food chain must be carried out and approved at European level. To date, no such applications for assessment under this regulation have been made.
	At an EC working group on 12 January 2007, member states agreed that there should be a discussion at an EC Standing Committee to clarify which sections of the EC Novel Foods Regulation apply to cloned animals and their offspring. It was also agreed that the European Food Safety Authority should be consulted on the safety of products from cloned animals and their offspring. The Commission will be producing a paper on these points for discussion at a future EC Standing Committee.
	The Government are currently consulting on their response to the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) report on the 'Welfare Implications of Animal Breeding and Breeding Technologies in Commercial Agriculture'. The outcome of this consultation will inform our position on welfare aspects and contribute to the broader consideration of whether there is a need for further regulatory controls.

Coastal Access

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to open up coastal access for walkers in England over the next 12 months.

Barry Gardiner: The Department has asked the Natural England Board to come forward with recommendations to improve access to the coast by the end of February 2007. We will then issue a consultation paper this spring setting out the facts, a range of options and the costs and benefits associated with each.

Environmental Liability Directive

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings on which dates since May 2004  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with (i) industry employees, (ii) members of trade bodies and (iii) members of non-governmental organisations, in relation to the implementation of the Environmental Liability Directive in the UK; and what organisations were represented at each such meeting.

Ian Pearson: The Department has consulted extensively with members of the trade and industrial associations and non-governmental organisations from 2002 (start of negotiations) to the present. A table providing the information requested has been placed in the Library of the House.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Serious Fraud Prosecutions

David Taylor: To ask the Solicitor-General in what ways prosecuting authorities determine the weight which is given to  (a) the national interest and  (b) the rule of law when determining whether to initiate prosecutions for serious fraud.

Mike O'Brien: The Code for Crown Prosecutors sets out the ways in which all prosecuting authorities weigh the relevant factors when deciding whether to initiate proceedings including the weight to be given to any factors influencing the evidence or the public interest.
	While the code sets out the general principles, every case is unique and has to be considered on its own merits. Prosecuting authorities respect the rule of law by independently deciding each case in accordance with the code.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Freedom of Information

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs in what circumstances a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 may be considered vexatious.

Vera Baird: My Department has published guidance on the circumstances in which a Freedom of Information request may be considered vexatious. This guidance is available on the Department's website and in the Libraries of the House.
	The Information Commissioner has also published guidance on vexatious requests, which can be found on the ICO website.

Fundamental Rights Agency

Graham Brady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the legal base is for budgeted EU expenditure of €5,536,000 in 2007 for the Fundamental Rights Agency.

Vera Baird: The legal base of the regulation establishing the Fundamental Rights Agency is article 308 of the treaty establishing the European Community. The existing European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) has an annual budget of €8.2 million. The Fundamental Rights Agency will have a mandate significantly wider than that of the EUMC and, for this reason, its budget has been set at €16 million in 2007 rising to €29 million in 2013.

Judicial Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the employee contribution rate is to the Judicial Pensions Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Active members of the Judicial Pensions Scheme contribute 1.8 per cent. or 2.4 per cent. of their pensionable salary to the scheme.

TRANSPORT

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to issue compulsory purchase orders for properties along the route of the proposed A21 upgrade.

Stephen Ladyman: The A21 programme is subject to the completion of all the statutory procedures and compliance with the Department's scheme appraisal requirements. The Highways Agency will publish draft compulsory purchase orders on behalf of the Secretary of State in accordance with the individual scheme requirements and programmes. We expect to take forward the A21 programme of schemes in the next five years.

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many compulsory purchase orders have been issued along the route of the proposed A21 upgrade in each year since 2005.

Stephen Ladyman: No compulsory purchase orders have been published along the route of the proposed A21 upgrade since 2005.

British Transport Police

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many  (a) arrests were made and  (b) convictions secured by British Transport Police in (i) England, (ii) Avon and Somerset and (iii) Taunton in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many  (a) police officers,  (b) police community support officers,  (c) special constables and  (d) civilian staff were employed by the British Transport Police in (i) England, (ii) Avon and Somerset and (iii) Taunton in each year since 2000;
	(3)  how many crimes were reported to British Transport Police in  (a) England,  (b) Avon and Somerset and  (c) Taunton in each of the last five years; and whether the crime was reported by a member of (i) the public and (ii) rail staff in each case;
	(4)  how many rail enforcement officers have been recruited in  (a) England and  (b) Avon and Somerset in each year since 2000; and what guidance his Department has issued to promote awareness of their role among the general public.

Tom Harris: This information is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail: general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.

Buses: Concessionary Travel

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the draft regulatory impact assessment on the Concessionary Bus Travel Bill on the funding of concessionary bus travel schemes.

Gillian Merron: The draft regulatory impact assessment (RIA) for the Concessionary Bus Travel Bill was published simultaneously with the Bill, which was introduced on 27 November 2006. It will be updated as appropriate. The RIA is available on the Department for Transport's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/localtransport/cbtbill
	The Government have indicated they will provide up to an extra £250 million of funding per year for the national bus travel concession. Following the introduction of the new concession, the Government will be providing approximately £1 billion a year for concessionary bus travel, and are confident that this will be sufficient to cover the total cost.
	The Department for Transport, in discussions with the Department for Communities and Local Government and Her Majesty's Treasury, is looking at a number of options for distributing the existing and future funding for providing the statutory concession.

Container Handling Capacity

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of container handling capacity shortages at United Kingdom ports on economic growth; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: In May 2006, alongside our discussion document 'Ports Policy—your views invited', the Department's consultants, MDS Transmodal in association with DTZ Pieda, published a container port transhipment study. This report contains an assessment of the wider economic effects of various capacity scenarios, looking ahead to 2030.
	Comments were received on this study in response to the discussion document and the ports policy review, currently in progress, is considering the matter further.

Cross Country Franchise

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of services between  (a) Preston and London,  (b) Lancaster and London and  (c) Scotland and Birmingham between when the present Cross County Franchise ends in November 2007 and the new West Coast Enhanced Service starts in December 2008.

Tom Harris: Faster, more regular and more reliable services will be achieved on all of these routes from the commencement of the new timetable in December 2008. Regular services will be maintained from both Preston and Lancaster to London and between Scotland and Birmingham via Lancashire in the period between November 2007 and December 2008 with a similar timetable to the one which operates currently.

M42

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2007,  Official Report, column 654W, to the hon. Member for Colchester on the M42, what contingency plans  (a) his Department and  (b) the Highways Agency are preparing in the event that the assessment in the autumn is in favour of hard shoulder running.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency is continuing to monitor the Active Traffic Management (ATM) project on the M42, which includes hard should running on parts of the network at certain times. If the trial results prove positive, subject to funding/budgetary considerations, we will consider implementing the ATM techniques where they will provide significant benefits. The Agency is reviewing the network to identify potential locations that might benefit.
	In addition, I announced in December 2006 that we will work with the Highways Agency to develop the case for productivity TIF funding for the traffic management schemes on the Birmingham Motorway Box and the M62 (Leeds Bradford). The results of the Agency's monitoring and evaluation of the M42 trial will be considered in finalising the design for these schemes, and in considering other possible applications.

Network Modelling Framework

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent report produced by his Department from the output of the Network Modelling Framework;
	(2)  if he will publish the outputs from the Network Modelling Framework for the last two years.

Tom Harris: The Network Modelling Framework is still under development and will be used to support the high level output specification, which will be published in July. No reports setting out outputs from the Network Modelling Framework have been published by my Department.

Rail Network: Overcrowding

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on rail network overcrowding.

Tom Harris: Three parliamentary questions have been tabled in the last three months concerned with crowding. The Secretary of State has received 60 letters concerning crowding in the same period.
	The Secretary of State has also received some 200 letters since November about First Great Western. Many of these have referred to crowding as well as other issues.

Railways

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the zonal system for London overground railways to be introduced.

Tom Harris: Zonal fares for peak single, peak return and off-peak return rail journeys wholly within London were introduced in January 2007. The zones are the same as those used for Underground and Travelcard fares. Zonal fares for rail-only season tickets will be introduced from January 2010.

Road Pricing

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the expected cost implications are of road pricing schemes for vehicle technology for individual motorists.

Stephen Ladyman: No decisions have been taken as to what technologies may be suitable to support road pricing. The Secretary of State announced last May a demonstration project to test the systems and technology for time-distance-place charging. This project will include analysis of the implications of different approaches. The road pricing feasibility study found that road pricing could be introduced at no net cost to the motorist.

Train Services

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints he has received from the public on the late arrival of trains in East Sussex in the last 12 months.

Tom Harris: For the three main train operators that provide services in East Sussex, the Department has had no complaints about late arrival of trains in the last 12 months. A number of secondary operators also operate over the East Sussex route. The Department does not keep records of late trains broken down by county areas.

Vehicle Registration Databases

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to synchronise vehicle registration databases across EU and non-EU nations.

Stephen Ladyman: DVLA is not aware of, or working on, any proposals to synchronise vehicle registration databases across EU and non-EU nations.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Dining Rooms

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether dining room bookings made for functions in breach of rules governing the use of such facilities can be cancelled by the House authorities.

Nick Harvey: Yes. Paragraph 9.2 of the terms and conditions provides for cancellation by the House of Commons if the sponsor or organiser is in breach of the terms and conditions of the booking.

Recycling

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will arrange for signs to be mounted next to the recycling bins in communal spaces informing staff of the toner cartridge recycling facility provided by the Serjeant at Arms.

Nick Harvey: Arrangements will be made for signs to be put by the recycling bins wherever possible in the communal spaces.
	The toner cartridge recycling facility, as well as the other recycling facilities, will also be publicised through available and appropriate means in the future.

Recycling

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what amounts of  (a) glass,  (b) metal,  (c) plastic and  (d) paper were recycled by the parliamentary estate in each year since 2004.

Nick Harvey: The amounts of  (a) glass,  (b) metal,  (c) plastic and  (d) paper recycled by the parliamentary estate in each year since 2004 are given as follows. The only plastic products being recycled at present are drinks bottles and figures are only available from April 2006 onwards.
	
		
			  Recycled (tonnes) 
			  Waste category  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 1) 
			  (a) Glass 152.8 182.8 140.3 
			  (b) Metal 6.1 77.6 31.1 
			  (c) Plastic bottles — — 1.9 
			  (d) Paper 265.7 401.9 297.8 
			  (e) Other 136.6 159.1 185.2 
			 Total Recycled 561.2 821.4 656.3 
			 Total Waste 1,916.5 2,251.7 1,565.4 
			 Percentage of total waste recycled 29.3 36.5 41.9 
			 (1) Nine months.

Theft

Stephen Crabb: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many cases of theft inside the House of Commons estate were reported in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: The number of cases of theft across the parliamentary estate in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002 71 
			 2003 33 
			 2004 33 
			 2005 20 
			 2006 21

Union Flag

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 504-05W, on the Union flag, what health and safety grounds prevent the use of the flagpole on Portcullis House; and what the cost would be of making access to the flagpole safe.

Nick Harvey: As I said in my reply to the right hon. Member for Warley (Mr. Spellar) on 24 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1763W:
	A recent health and safety report identified the following risks.
	Access to the flagpole is by ladder but there is no safe means of passing the flag up the ladder; the flag raiser needs to climb over a ventilation duct; lighting is poor and there is no emergency lighting. In addition there are heavy hatch doors with no means of preventing closure and no harness anchorage points.
	The flagpole has been used only once since Portcullis House was opened when it was found to be dangerous and it has been non-operational since September 2000. Means of rectifying the health and safety risks are being looked into and when the costs are known a decision will be taken on whether to fly flags from this location. If it is decided to do so, the aim will be to complete the necessary modifications by summer 2007.

Water Usage

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what volume of water was consumed by the parliamentary estate in each year since 2004.

Nick Harvey: The volume of water consumed by the parliamentary estate in each year since 2004 is as follows:
	
		
			  Cubic metres 
			   Mains water  Borehole water  Total 
			 2004-05 216,861 301,842 518,703 
			 2005-06 186,663 393,859 580,522 
			 2006-07(1) 139,477 258,149 397,626 
			 (1) Nine months. 
		
	
	Borehole water is used primarily for cooling and toilet flushing in Portcullis House.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average tour intervals were for each unit deployed on the Helmand Task Force roulement.

Des Browne: Average tour intervals, from 1997, for the Royal Marines Commando units deployed on the Helmand Task Force roulement are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Unit  Average tour interval (months) 
			 42 Commando Royal Marines 14 
			 45 Commando Royal Marines 15 
			 Commando Logistics Regiment 32 
			 28 Engineer Regiment 40 
		
	
	28 Engineer Regiment rarely deploys as a fully formed unit. Elements of the Regiment are deployed to Helmand Province and I have informed the House on 6 November 2006,  Official Report, column 793W, of the tour interval for those personnel involved.
	RAF units operate differently to those of the Army or Royal Marines. While a unit might be deployed for five months, RAF personnel can rotate through the unit rather than remain with it throughout. Therefore unit and personnel tour intervals are not necessarily the same.
	
		
			  RAF unit  Average tour interval (months) 
			 3 Force Protection Wing 5 
			 2 Sqn RAF Regiment 11

Aircraft Carrier Demonstration Phase

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the RN future aircraft carrier demonstration phase.

Adam Ingram: Good progress is being made on the demonstration phase work, which is aimed at maturing the risks, costs and the contractual framework for building the carriers. The culmination of this work will enable us to get a robust, affordable deal negotiated and take a decision to commit to manufacture.

Armed Forces Recruitment

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Muslims were recruited to the armed forces in each month since January 2006.

Derek Twigg: The Muslim intake from civilian life to UK Regular Forces in 2006, by month is as follows:
	
		
			   All services( 1) 
			 January 10 
			 February 5 
			 March (2)— 
			 April 5 
			 May (2)— 
			 June 5 
			 July 10 
			 August 5 
			 September (2)— 
			 October (2)— 
			 November (3)5 
			 (1) Due to the introduction of a new personnel administration system, RAF data on the religion of recruits are not available from 1 April 2006, and naval service data from 1 November 2006 are provisional and subject to review. (2) Denotes fewer than 5. (3) Denotes provisional.  Notes: 1. All numbers are rounded to the nearest 5. 2. Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. 
		
	
	Figures provided are for the 11 months from 1 January 2006 to 30 November 2006. December 2006 intake from civilian life data are not yet available.

BAE Systems

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations have been made by the US Administration to  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers in his Department concerning allegations of bribery by BAE Systems in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: We have identified a record of one such representation, made on 19 July 2002 to the then Permanent Under-Secretary.

Boarding School Allowance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the minimum distance is which an officer has to move in order to be able to claim boarding school allowance; and what steps he takes to monitor potential abuse of the allowance;
	(2)  how many officers of each of the armed services have  (a) declared themselves mobile for the purpose of claiming boarding school allowance and  (b) claimed boarding school allowance in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: All officers in the armed services are deemed to have a mobile commitment. However, continuity of education allowance (CEA) is only paid to a service person who is accompanied by their family at each location. Any service person claiming CEA must ensure that their family is, and continues to be, mobile and this is declared by the service person on each claim. In addition, the service person must be in possession of a valid 'mobility certificate', which is completed prior to an initial claim for the education allowance, when the child(ren) change school, at the beginning of each new posting, or if the certificate is more than three years old. This certificate states the service claimant is committed to their family moving with them when they are posted. If the family for any reason does not move with the service person, then their entitlement to claim CEA will be reviewed.
	There are a few exceptions to the accompanied service eligibility criteria. On some postings it is inappropriate for the service person to be accompanied by their family and these postings are classified as 'involuntarily separated', i.e. they are separated from their family and cannot serve accompanied. Examples of this are when the service parent is serving on an operational deployment, or on a designated unaccompanied assignment or when exceptional authority has been granted for the service claimant to serve unaccompanied but retain eligibility to CEA. Examples of the circumstances under which such authority may be given are whilst the service claimant is awaiting allocation of service families accommodation at their new duty station, or when they are waiting, for up to six months, for the completion of a house sale/purchase. In these circumstances, the service person would be eligible to continue to claim CEA.
	Given the ongoing transition to joint personnel administration, figures are not yet available of the number of officer claimants from each service for the past five years. However, the total number of officer claimants for spring term 2005 was 3,587 and for spring term 2006 3,074, as reported in the HCDC report 'Educating Service Children' of 11 July 2006. Detailed figures explaining the number of officer claimants from each service for the past five years are being determined.

Campaign Medals

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what process was followed in  (a) proposing and  (b) developing the idea to award journalists Iraq campaign medals; how many have been (i) accepted and (ii) declined; and whether any precedents exist.

Derek Twigg: Accredited war correspondents, photographers, cameramen and sound recordists were included in eligibility proposals for the Iraq medal made by the Ministry of Defence to the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals in November 2003. These proposals were included in the criteria when the medal was announced in February 2004 (Cm 6135). Entitled journalists were invited to apply for the medal. It has not been sent to them automatically.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1467W about the number of medals that have been accepted or declined by journalists.
	The practice of making medals available to accredited journalists deployed alongside the British armed forces goes back to at least world war one and, more recently, happened in both the Falklands conflict and the Gulf war.

Campaign Medals

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the  (a) newspapers,  (b) broadcasters and  (c) news agencies whose journalists were given an Iraq campaign medal by his Department.

Derek Twigg: No. The information requested constitutes personal data, within the terms of section 1(1) of the Data Protection Act 1998, as provision of a list of the relevant newspapers, broadcasters and news agencies is likely to permit identification of individual journalists who have been awarded the Iraq campaign medal.

Campaign Medals

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Iraq campaign medals have been awarded without clasp to journalists; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 5 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 369-70W.

Carbon Emissions

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department began collecting figures on its carbon emissions; what the volume of emissions was in the most recent period for which figures are available; when the Department started to offset its emissions; how much is expected to be spent on offsetting in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence has recorded energy usage since 1990-91. The most recent year for which figures detailing the volume of departmental emissions are available is financial year 2004-05. I refer the hon. Member to the figures published on 10 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 652-53W. Figures for FY 2005-06 are not yet available, but will be published in the Sustainable Development in Government Report 2005-06, a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The Department does not offset its emissions derived from energy use in buildings and facilities on the defence estate. However, MOD does support the Carbon Trust's approach to reductions in emissions where offsetting is the final element of a plan to reduce an organisation's carbon footprint. For MOD, reduction of energy use and increased use of energy from renewable sources will take precedence over carbon offsetting.
	MOD has been collecting data on official air travel booked through the Head Office Travel Service, and has agreed to make a financial contribution to Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF) relative to the carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the air travel for civilian staff and service personnel in non-operational posts. The scheme started in April 2006. In 2005-06, MOD's estimated annual financial contribution to GCOF at £151,658.67 based on a price of 10/tC. It is estimated that MOD will offset some 15,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. This will be revised using actual data from 2006-07 to establish the GCOF contribution required for this financial year.

Chinooks

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Chinooks are  (a) in working use in the UK military and  (b) operating in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: As at 18 January 2007, 40 Chinook HC2/2a are in service with the UK military. Of these, 25 are located in the Forward Fleet, involved in front-line and training activities, including eight which are currently deployed to Afghanistan.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 87W and 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 76W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox).

Conventional Weapons: Conference

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors prevented the Government from achieving their priority for the 3rd Review Conference on the Convention of Certain Conventional Weapons of finalising a Protocol on Mines other than Anti-Personnel Mines.

Adam Ingram: The UK and other nations made concerted efforts to achieve consensus on a draft set of recommendations on Mines Other than Anti-Personnel Mines (MOTAPM) at the 3rd Review Conference on the Convention of Certain Conventional Weapons. However, a few nations could not accept them and therefore a protocol could not be adopted. As an interim measure, 20 nations including the UK, made a declaratory statement agreeing to be politically bound by the principal commitments within the draft set of recommendations with a view to adopting a negotiating mandate for a legally binding protocol in the future.

Defence Medical Services

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 357-58, on Defence Medical Services, what the revived manning requirement figures are for different categories of doctors.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 23 January 2007
	The revised Defence Medical Services (DMS) manning requirement figures were submitted for endorsement last year as part of a larger body of work, and work on the details of other parts of this submission caused a delay in the endorsement of the new figures. The revised manning requirement figures for the DMS have now been endorsed and a formal announcement will be made in the near future.

Defence Training Review

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral statement of 17 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 787-9, on the Defence Training Review, what the principal factors were which persuaded him to select Metrix as the preferred bidder for his Defence Training Rationalisation Review.

Derek Twigg: Following a robust and detailed evaluation of the bidders' proposals in response to the Defence Training Review (DTR) package one and two Invitation to Negotiate, Metrix was selected as the preferred bidder for DTR package 1 and provisional preferred bidder for DTR package 2. Their solution, examined against 65 individual requirements of response, represented the most economically advantageous outcome, providing the best combination of technical score relating to the quality, deliverability and timeliness of their proposals, their suitability as a partner and price.

Departmental Expenditure

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of expenditure by his Department in each of the Government office regions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: The latest available estimates for aggregate MOD expenditure in the Government offices for the English regions, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole, are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			   Estimated total (£ million at current prices) 
			   
			 United Kingdom 15,770 
			   
			 England 14,050 
			   
			 East 1,450 
			 East Midlands 510 
			 London 720 
			 North East 310 
			 North West 1,790 
			 South East 4,060 
			 South West 4,000 
			 West Midlands 650 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 560 
			   
			 Scotland 1,150 
			 Wales 230 
			 Northern Ireland 340 
			  Note: All figures are for financial year 2004-05, have been rounded to the nearest £10 million, are exclusive of VAT and expressed at current prices. 
		
	
	It should be noted that MOD places work where it obtains best value for money and capability for our forces. Work is placed "in" a region but not necessarily "for" that region. The location of these is not a primary concern.

Departmental Expenditure

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much programme expenditure sponsored by his Department was spent via each of the Government offices for the regions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: None.

Departmental Fixed Assets

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which fixed assets his Department sold for more than £10,000 in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06; and what the (i) sale value, (ii) purchaser and (iii) date of sale was of each asset.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Hospitality

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's expenditure was on hospitality and entertainment in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) 2005-06.

Derek Twigg: For 1996-97, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 20 March 2003,  Official Report, column 885, to the hon. Members for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) and for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray).
	For 2005-06, the information is contained in Note 10 of our annual reports and accounts (HC 1394 of 14 July 2006), copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
	The figures include expenditure by MOD Ministers.

Departmental Vetting

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional guidance has been given to the personnel of the Defence Vetting Agency to reflect the change of threat resulting from the events of  (a) September 2001 and  (b) July 2005.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 23 January 2007
	Defence Vetting Agency personnel, along with all Ministry of Defence civilian and service personnel, are made aware of the terrorist and other threats through regular security briefings.

Departmental Vetting

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to explain to his departmental staff the necessity for changes in the  (a) depth and  (b) detail of vetting to which they are subjected.

Derek Twigg: holding answer Tuesday 23 January 2007
	Ministry of Defence staff, in common with all applicants for security vetting carried out by the Defence Vetting Agency, are given full information about the vetting process and the enquiries that will be made. The security questionnaire includes a statement on HM Government vetting policy explaining the purpose and scope of national security vetting. This is supplemented with comprehensive notes in the security questionnaire and explanatory leaflets sent to vetting subjects. In addition, MOD staff have access to the Defence Manual of Security, which explains departmental vetting requirements and practice and includes the changes made to the developed vetting standard. It will also include advice on the new baseline personnel security standard, once this is implemented.

Executive Agencies

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which executive agencies are the responsibility of his Department; what the function is of each agency; and what the budget was of each agency in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: As at 1 January 2007, the following agencies are the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence:
	ABRO
	Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency
	British Forces Post Office
	Defence Analytical Service Agency
	Defence Aviation Repair Agency
	Defence Bills Agency
	Defence Communication Services Agency
	Defence Estates
	Defence Medical Education and Training Agency
	Defence Procurement Agency
	Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
	Defence Storage and Distribution Agency
	Defence Transport and Movements Agency
	Defence Vetting Agency
	Disposal Services Agency
	Duke of York's Royal Military School
	Met Office
	Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency
	People Pay and Pensions Agency
	Service Children's Education
	UK Hydrographic Office
	Veterans Agency
	Information on their functions and budgets can be found in the individual agencies annual report and accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Government Auctions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where his Department publishes information about Government auctions which it arranges or to which it contributes in  (a) Blackpool,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) the North West; and when the next such auction will take place in each area.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Agency (DSA) has responsibility for the disposal of all surplus MOD equipment. The majority of surplus items are sold through DSA's contractors, with whom it has various marketing agreements. In the UK, only memorabilia are disposed of by public auction, through the London site of Bonhams' auction house. Details of DSA's marketing activities, including those for Bonhams and other contractors, can be found at its website:
	www.edisposals.com

Helicopters

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether UK force commanders have requested additional helicopters for operations in Afghanistan since 1 September 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: UK force commanders have not requested additional helicopters for operations in Afghanistan since 1 September 2006.

Helicopters

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the adequacy of helicopter numbers available to UK forces in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Helicopter assets in both Afghanistan and Iraq are currently assessed by the military commanders in theatre to be sufficient to support operations successfully. We keep this under constant review.

Joint Narcotics Analysis Centre

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the most senior  (a) UK and  (b) US person is within the Joint Narcotics Analysis Centre; and what rank each holds.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 624-25W.

Land Rovers and Armoured Vehicles

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armoured vehicles replaced Land Rovers in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq in each of the last 12 months; when he expects all Land Rovers in operation in each country to be replaced with armoured vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 74-76WS. The new armoured vehicles, some of which have already been delivered to our forces, will complement, not replace, vehicles within the existing operational fleet.
	The new armoured vehicles, alongside Land Rovers, which will remain appropriate for some tasks, will give commanders on the ground a wider range of options to deal with the situations and threats they face.

Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency received from the US visiting forces as a stakeholder customer in each year from 2000 to 2006.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency received the following amounts from US visiting forces for the period 2000-06:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   MOD Police  MOD Guard Service  Total 
			 1999-2000 4.8 Nil 4.8 
			 2000-01 5.5 Nil 5.5 
			 2001-02 8.0 Nil 8.0 
			 2002-03 12.1 Nil 12.0 
			 2003-04 11.9 Nil 11.9 
			 2004-05 12.1 1.1 13.2 
			 2005-06 13.9 1.2 15.1

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which non-departmental public bodies are sponsored by his Department; what the function is of each body; and what the annual budget of each body was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: Details of the remit, Government funding and gross expenditure of public bodies sponsored by the Ministry of Defence can be found in the Cabinet Office publication Public Bodies 2006, copies of which are available in the Library of the House and also on-line at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/other/agencies/publications/pdf/public-bodies/publicbodies2006.pdf
	For those bodies in respect of which no information on expenditure was provided in Public Bodies 2006, their approximate expenditure in 2005-06 was as follows:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors 0 
			 Animal Welfare Advisory Committee 8,000 
			 Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions and War Pensions Committees 37,300. 
			 Dartmoor Steering Group 60 
			 Defence Nuclear Safety Committee 35,000 
			 Defence Scientific Advisory Council 200,000 
			 Depleted Uranium Oversight Board 554,700 
			 Independent Board of Visitors for the Military Corrective Training Centre 1,200 
			 National Employer Advisory Board 6,900 
			 Nuclear Research Advisory Council 30,000

Nuclear Weapons

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the operating costs of a new nuclear deterrent is projected to be 5-6 per cent. of his Department's budget throughout its life cycle.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1898W, to my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Ms Clark).

Nuclear Weapons

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions  (a) he,  (b) other departmental Ministers and  (c) officials have had with the Legal Services Commission on delayed applications for compensation from retired members of the armed forces who took part in British nuclear weapons tests between 1952 and 1967; how many British nuclear test veterans have received compensation arising from exposure to radiation in such tests; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Neither the Secretary of State for Defence nor other departmental Ministers have had discussions with the Legal Services Commission (LSC) with regard to the delayed applications for compensation from participants in the British nuclear tests of the 1950s and 1960s. The Treasury Solicitor's Department made one telephone call to the LSC in April 2005, following a stay in the legal proceedings which had been agreed between the parties pending a public funding decision for the nuclear test veterans group action. This call was made with a view to ascertaining the likely timeframe for a public funding decision to assist in planning and progressing the proposed litigation. However, contact was not made with the LSC caseholder, no information was given about the funding position, and this initial contact was not followed up.
	Compensation under the war pensions scheme is paid on a no-fault basis to former members of the armed forces for disablement causally related to service before 6 April 2005. Claims can be made at any time after service termination. At 30 September 2006, 179,000 war pensions were in payment. Centrally held statistics do not identify the number of nuclear test veterans who have received such compensation for disablement arising from exposure to ionising radiation in the course of these tests.
	The UK also administers its own compensation scheme for radiation-linked diseases, but no nuclear test veteran has fulfilled the relevant criteria or therefore received an award.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cash equivalent transfer value is of the public sector pensions of the 10 highest paid members of staff in his Department and its executive agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The total cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) for the 12 highest paid staff in the Ministry of Defence totalled £15.64 million as at 31 March 2006. Four of these individuals are named in remuneration reports that form part of the Department's resource accounts and the cash equivalent transfer value of their public sector pensions is therefore reported annually. The remuneration reports are already in the public domain. I have reported the 12 highest paid members of staff because the 10th, 11th and 12th highest paid members of staff are on the same salary rate. The CETV figure given includes both armed forces and civilian personnel.

Recruitment Agencies

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid to recruitment agencies for the hire of temporary staff in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Royal Navy: Morale

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on morale in the Royal Navy.

Derek Twigg: Morale in the Naval Service is high, particularly among personnel who are engaged in live operations around the world including Royal Marines and Royal Navy personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Safe Houses

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what time and on what day in July 2003  (a) Dr. David Kelly and  (b) Richard Hatfield (i) arrived at and (ii) left the safe-house in Hockley provided by his Department.

Des Browne: holding answer 19 January 2007
	The Hutton Report (HC247 of 28 January 2004) and transcripts of evidence to Lord Hutton's inquiry give details of Dr. Kelly's movements during July 2003, and meetings between Dr. Kelly and Mr. Hatfield. Both meetings between Dr. Kelly and Mr. Hatfield on 4 and 7 July 2003, took place in Mr. Hatfield's office in London. Neither Dr. Kelly nor Mr. Hatfield stayed at any accommodation at Hockley.

Service Personnel: Medical Conditions

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals in band  (a) A,  (b) B,  (c) C and  (d) D were assessed as eligible for compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme in its first year of operation.

Derek Twigg: For all claims registered between 6 April 2005 and 31 March 2006 under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, there were less than 10 individuals assessed as being eligible for a Guaranteed Income Payment. There are individuals in each of the bands, but to preserve confidentiality the exact numbers cannot be disclosed. An evaluation report of the first year of operation of the scheme will be published shortly.

Statistics

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the process is for deciding the date of publication of statistics prepared by or relating to the Department; and who is involved in that process.

Derek Twigg: The National Statistics Code of Practice (2002)—which serves as a model for all public sector statistical work—established the principle that "final responsibility for the content, format and timing of release of national statistics" rests with the Head of Profession for Statistics in each Department. In reaching their decisions, Heads of Profession take into consideration the detailed procedural guidance given in the "National Statistics Protocol on Release Practices".
	Copies of the code and its 12 supporting protocols are available in the Library of the House and can also be accessed using the following address:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp

Vessel Sales

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which  (a) Royal Navy and  (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have been sold to other countries since 1997; and what revenue was received by the Ministry of Defence in each case.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 January 2007
	The following list contains all surplus HMS-named capital vessels sold on a Government-to-Government basis:
	
		
			  Date of the contract of sale  Sold to  Price (£)( 1) 
			  Financial year 1997-98   
			 HMS Plover (2)Philippines (3)7.5 million for all three (receipts to MOD alone) 
			 HMS Peacock (2)— (3)— 
			 HMS Starling (2)— (3)— 
			
			  Financial year 1998-99   
			 HMS Unseen Canada (4)— 
			
			  Financial year 1999-2000 — — 
			
			  Financial year 2000-01   
			 HMS Bicester Greece (5)Sold with HMS Berkeley for a combined price of 10 million 
			 HMS Orkney Trinidad and Tobago 1.5 million 
			
			  Financial year 2001-02   
			 HMS Berkeley Greece (5)Sold with HMS Bicester for a combined price of 10 million 
			 HMS Orwell Guyana 1.5 million 
			
			  Financial year 2002-03   
			 HMS London (6)Romania (7)116 million for both 
			 HMS Coventry (6)— (7)— 
			 HMS Shetland (8)Bangladesh (9)8.0 million for all five 
			 HMS Alderney (8)— (9)— 
			 HMS Anglesey (8)— (9)— 
			 HMS Lindisfarne (8)— (9)— 
			 HMS Guernsey (8)— (9)— 
			 HMS Sheffield Chile 27 million 
			
			  Financial year 2003-04 — — 
			
			  Financial year 2004-05 — — 
			  Financial year 2005-06   
			 HMS Marlborough (10)Chile (11)134 million for all three (project ongoing) 
			 HMS Norfolk (10)— (11)— 
			 HMS Grafton (10)— (11)— 
			
			  Financial year 2006-07   
			 HMS Sandown (12)Estonia (13)32 million for all three (project ongoing) 
			 HMS Bridport (12)— (13)— 
			 HMS Inverness (12)— (13)— 
			 (1) Where appropriate, the above figures represent the total revenue for the MOD and industry together. For those vessels sold on a Government-to-Government (G-2-G) basis in later years by the Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Agency (DSA), there is usually an agreement with industry for regeneration and modernisation work. Much of the information on revenue received by the MOD from the sale of each individual vessel is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Some deferred/time-related payments will still be outstanding. (4) HMS Unseen was leased to Canada with an option to purchase, which has subsequently been exercised. The lease covers four submarines, the remaining three, HMS Unicorn, HMS Ursula and HMS Upholder are still under lease until 2008. The total value of this lease is Canadian $360 million for all four submarines—future exchange rate fluctuations make it impossible to estimate a final return in sterling at this time. (5) HMS Bicester and HMS Berkeley were transferred to the Hellenic Navy. This transfer involved the vessels being sold to Vosper Thorneycroft (VT) for £5 million each. VT prepared the vessels for transfer resulting in the MOD incurring minimum transfer costs. Although not transferred directly on a G-2-G basis, they are highlighted because of the significance of the sale. The Acquisition Agreement for HMS London and HMS Coventry for Romania covered the acquisition of these ships with UK MOD procuring their regeneration and modernisation through a "back-to-back" contract. The ships were already decommissioned, no longer in operational condition and were in need of major regeneration. The value to the UK of the project is £116 million including a return for the MOD of between £1.5 million and £2 million for the hulls (£200,000) and the provision of services. 
		
	
	No RFAs were sold on a Government-to-Government basis during this period.

Veterans Badge

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of people entitled to the Veterans Badge; how many claimed the badge in each month since its introduction, broken down by parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 22 January 2007
	The Ministry of Defence has insufficient information to make an accurate assessment of the number of people entitled to the HM Armed Forces Veterans Lapel Badge but estimates that the total number is around 5 million.
	The Veterans Badge was administered in London between May 2004 and 17 April 2005. During this period, 82,000 badges were issued; however, detailed records of monthly application numbers were not kept.
	Since 18 April 2005, the Veterans Agency has been responsible for the Badge's administration. During this period, it has received 300,493 applications and issued 277,465 badges. The applications have been received as follows:
	
		
			   Application 
			  2005  
			 April 2,453 
			 May 11,117 
			 June 8,459 
			 July 9,742 
			 August 6,786 
			 September 8,099 
			 October 8,389 
			 November 9,295 
			 December 18,826 
			   
			  2006  
			 January 19,322 
			 February 20,762 
			 March 18,700 
			 April 13,378 
			 May 13,455 
			 June 19,091 
			 July 20,581 
			 August 19,132 
			 September 15,007 
			 October 14,345 
			 November 23,051 
			 December 20,503 
		
	
	The databases for the scheme do not have the capability to extract records of applicants by individual parliamentary constituencies.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghan Refugees

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of comments of the Pakistani Prime Minister on Afghan refugees living in Pakistan on the achievement of aims of the London compact.

Kim Howells: We support the principle of closing the refugee camps in Pakistan, in an orderly, carefully managed way that respects the rights of the refugees and international agreements. We are in close touch with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in both Geneva and Islamabad and are discussing with them their strategy for 2007. The Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan are due to meet with the UNHCR in Lahore on 6 February to discuss how they can work together to create the conditions necessary for significant returns in 2007.
	The Afghan Government and the international community continue towards the benchmarks agreed in the Afghanistan compact in 2006.

African Union: Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has made representations to the African Union on whether Sudan should assume its presidency for 2007-08.

Ian McCartney: The African Union (AU) is an important partner for the UK and the wider international community on key issues that affect African development. It has a major role to play in helping to prevent and resolve conflict in conjunction with the United Nations and others.
	The choice of the next AU Chairperson is a matter for AU member states. We expect the AU to ensure that whomever is chosen will be in a position to continue to build the capacity and credibility of the organisation, across the range of its activities.

Bangladesh

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the freedom of the press in Bangladesh and its implications for the observance of human rights by the Government of that country.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 460-461W.
	The Constitution of Bangladesh gives the state wide powers under a state of emergency, which can be used to restrict freedom of speech. We nevertheless look to the caretaker Government to observe human rights standards for all citizens. A vibrant and diverse media plays an important role in democratic life in the country.

British Citizens: Convictions Abroad

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1403W, on British citizens' convictions abroad, for how many individuals convicted and given a custodial sentence her Department's database holds passport details.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office consular assistance database—Compass—does not incorporate a function to generate statistics on the number of British nationals under custodial sentence overseas for whom it holds passport details. This is primarily because such statistics are not needed for our principal function of ensuring the welfare of British nationals in detention overseas.

Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of recent ASEAN criticism of the Burmese regime for achieving  (a) national reconciliation and  (b) the release of political prisoners; and what representations she has made to counterparts in ASEAN member states on a charter for the association establishing common standards of governance among members.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 22 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1448W.
	At the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, held in the Philippines on 13 and 14 January, ASEAN encouraged Burma to make greater progress towards national reconciliation and called for the release of those placed under detention. I believe ASEAN can play an important role in encouraging positive change in Burma. The UK, therefore, welcomed the stance ASEAN has taken.

Cameroon

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made by the British high commission in Yaoundé concerning the arrest and holding of Dr. Nfor Ngala Nfor and other members of the Southern Cameroon National Council at a press conference in the town of Bamenda on 20 January.

Ian McCartney: Our high commission in Yaoundé has not made any representations to the Cameroon authorities regarding this incident. However, they have been in contact with the National Human Rights Commission representative in Bamenda to discuss whether any human rights violations occurred. Their comprehensive report of the events is expected imminently, we will give it careful consideration and take forward any representations that are necessary.

Departmental Contracts: Iraq

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contracts have been awarded to ArmorGroup by her Department for work in Iraq; what the start and end dates of each contract were; what the purpose of each contract was; and how many people were employed under the terms of each contract.

Kim Howells: ArmorGroup have been awarded three Foreign and Commonwealth Office contracts for work in Iraq.
	The first was for provision of static guarding of our embassy office in Basra. It started on 1 July 2004, ran to 30 June 2006 and employed a maximum of 93 personnel. These figures varied during the course of the contract.
	The second was for the provision of static guarding at our embassy in Baghdad. This contract also started on 1 July 2004 and ran to 30 June 2006. It employed a maximum of 113 personnel. Again, these figures varied during the course of the contract.
	The third is to provide police mentors to work on policing projects in Baghdad and southern Iraq. This contract started on 4 June 2004 and is due to expire in June 2007. There are currently 71(1) people employed on this contract and the maximum employed at any time during the course of the contract has been 91.
	(1) The figure of 71 in this case means that there are 71 police mentors on the ground at any one time. To ensure these positions are constantly filled, extra personnel are used to provide leave cover. This means the actual number of personnel currently staffing the contract is usually 25 per cent. higher than the 'on the ground figure'.

Departmental Contracts: Iraq

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contracts let by her Department for work in Iraq were in relation to projects funded in part or wholly by the  (a) Japanese and  (b) Dutch Governments.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has one contract in Iraq which is directly related to a project funded by the Dutch Government. In August 2005 the FCO extended its contract with ArmorGroup, which provides police mentors to Iraq, to include an additional 17 mentors to carry out training and mentoring in Al-Muthanna province. This additional capacity was funded in full by the Dutch Government and lasted until February 2006.
	We have not let any contracts in Iraq in relation to projects funded partly or wholly by the Japanese Government.

Departmental Contracts: Iraq

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how often and when the contract awarded to ArmorGroup for training the Iraqi police in June 2004 was  (a) reviewed and  (b) extended; and whether ArmorGroup was paid per day or per person employed.

Kim Howells: The contract originally awarded to ArmorGroup in June 2004 for police training and mentoring in Iraq was for an initial five months and has been extended a total of five times. The extensions were for the following periods:
	November 2004-December 2004
	January 2005-August 2005
	September 2005-March 2006
	April 2006-September 2006
	October 2006-June 2007
	Each extension has included a review of prices to ensure value for money. The policing work carried out by ArmorGroup is under the command and direction of a senior serving British policeman, with whom Foreign and Commonwealth Office works in raising issues relating to the performance or staffing of the ArmorGroup contract. We have also commissioned independent reviews of our policing programme to assess its effectiveness including the security sector development advisory team in May 2005, Sir Ronnie Flanagan's assessment of the UK's policing programme in January 2006 and chief constable Paul Kernaghan's progress assessment visit on 4-7 October 2006.
	Payment to ArmorGroup is made on a per person per day in country basis.

Guantanamo Bay

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the indefinite detention of British residents in Guantanamo Bay on the UK's foreign relations.

Kim Howells: Indefinite detention of detainees in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, regardless of their nationality or place of former residence, is a matter of concern to us, on human rights grounds rather than for its effect on our relations with other states. As we have made clear, the detention facility should be closed. We therefore welcome President Bush's public statements expressing a wish to close Guantanamo Bay and the US Administration's efforts to reduce numbers at the camp. But we recognise the need for careful consideration on how numbers at the camp are reduced to ensure international security is maintained and the human rights of detainees respected.

Guantanamo Bay

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the US Administration asking for the immediate release of British residents who remain detained in Guantanamo Bay.

Kim Howells: It is long-standing policy that the Government are not in a position to provide consular assistance or diplomatic protection to foreign nationals, including those held at Guantanamo Bay, except where we have a specific agreement with another state to do so.
	We discuss a range of detainee issues, including Guantanamo Bay, with the US Administration but our focus is on the situation of all detainees at Guantanamo, including those formerly resident in the UK. We have raised humanitarian issues relating to detainees who were formerly resident in the UK with the US on a number of occasions, as part of these regular exchanges.
	We agreed in March 2006 to make representations to the US Government for the release of Bisher Al-Rawi from Guantanamo Bay and his return to the UK. That decision was based on the particular circumstances in his case. On 6 April 2006 my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) wrote to the US Secretary of State to ask formally for Mr. Al-Rawi's release and return. Detailed discussions between our Governments have continued ever since. While these are sensitive and complicated issues that take time, we are committed to securing Mr. Al-Rawi's release from Guantanamo Bay and his return to the UK.

Hans Blix: Report

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when her Department received copies of the report prepared by Dr. Hans Blix entitled Weapons of Terror - Freeing the World of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Arms; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Dr. Blix handed over a copy of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission report to the Government at a meeting with officials in London on 12 June 2006. He had earlier briefed ambassadors from EU member states on 9 June 2006 in Brussels, where he had also handed over copies of the report.

Iraq

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the latest figures available to her Department on the population of Iraq are in each year from 1998-99 to January 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: There has been no official census in Iraq since 1997. The result of that census gave a population of 22,017,983, but these data were deemed unreliable by the international community at the time. The Government of Iraq are planning a fresh census when conditions allow.

Mercenaries

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will take steps to prevent any security services company  (a) suspected of mercenary activity and  (b) whose management personnel have expressed in public views approving of illegal actions or practices from being invited to tender for security contracts by Government departments.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issues open advertisements for its major security service contracts. These advertisements highlight the relevant pre-qualification criteria for companies wishing to be considered to tender for those contracts. Public procurement guidelines oblige us to invite tenders from companies who meet the relevant qualification criteria, subject to certain limits on the overall number of companies who are invited to tender.

Middle East

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with  (a) the UN and  (b) other agencies on the situation of (i) the Palestinian community living in Iraq and (ii) those Palestinians who have been displaced or fled from Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the situation of the Palestinian community in Iraq with the UN or other agencies. However, the Government are concerned about the unacceptable number of internally displaced people and refugees in Iraq and are closely monitoring the situation.
	We are working with coalition forces and international organisations to ensure that those affected are protected and that their basic needs are met, and have just announced a £4 million contribution to the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide emergency assistance, including water, medical supplies and rehabilitation of health infrastructure. We are also in regular contact with the Government of Iraq as they develop their response to the humanitarian situation in Iraq.

Venezuela

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect on the flow of illegal drugs to the  (a) UK and  (b) EU of Venezuela's lack of co-operation in counter-narcotics operations with (i) neighbouring countries and (ii) the United States.

Kim Howells: We estimate that a significant proportion of cocaine transiting Venezuela is destined for Europe and the UK. Intelligence and seizures suggest that cocaine flows through Venezuela are increasing.
	It is important therefore that the UK, EU and Venezuela's neighbours are able to co-operate closely with the Venezuelan authorities in countering the flow of narcotics through the country. Preventing the importation of cocaine into the UK from Venezuela is a top priority for the UK's international counter-narcotics efforts. We are already working with Venezuela on counter-narcotics and are keen to increase our engagement. We welcome President Chavez's election pledge to tackle corruption. This will be an important element in developing the counter-narcotics effort in Venezuela. I visited Venezuela recently to understand the nature and extent of the drug problems encountered in that country.
	Co-operation between Venezuela and its regional neighbours is a matter for the Governments concerned.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Bullying

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government are taking to address the issue of bullying in schools in Northern Ireland.

Maria Eagle: The Department recognises that bullying in whatever form and for whatever reason, has no place in schools. The Department has taken proactive steps to tackle bullying through development and publication of guidance. Furthermore, the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 2003, which came into operation on 1 April 2003, places a duty on all grant-aided schools to have an anti-bullying policy and to draw up measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils.
	In 2004 the Department in partnership with voluntary organisations, including Save the Children, established an Anti-bullying Forum to enable a collaborative and co-ordinated approach to tackling bullying in schools. The forum enables members to share models of best practice, disseminate information, to develop and co-ordinate joint initiatives and to ensure that schools and organisations working with children and young people are able to develop appropriate strategies to prevent and deal with bullying behaviours.
	From early 2006 the Department has been funding a co-ordinator post attached to the NI Anti-Bullying Forum. She is currently involved in developing a regional anti-bullying strategy based on good practice here and elsewhere and in developing a support network for schools. In addition she will be researching best practice solutions to emerging problems such as cyber-bullying.

Bullying

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many reports of bullying were made in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Education does not collect the information requested.
	The Department has commissioned research into bullying, in all its forms, and the results are expected to be ready for publication by mid-2007.

Carbon Emissions

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when his Office began to measure its carbon emissions; what the volume of those emissions was in the last period for which figures are available; when his Office started to offset those emissions; what the cost is expected to be of offsetting his Office's emissions; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Government set a target in the NI Sustainable Development Strategy of carbon neutrality for the Government estate by 2015.
	At the end of November I announced the publication of the Northern Ireland Sustainable Development Implementation Plan, "A Positive Step". A copy can be downloaded at:
	http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/economic-policy-and-effectiveness.htm
	The plan sets out the key actions for achieving carbon neutrality including: reducing the size of the Government estate through the Workplace 2010 Project; reductions in carbon emissions through investment in renewable energy sources, again through the Workplace 2010 Project; increased use of electricity generated from green sources; and investing in energy efficiency through the Central Energy Efficiency Fund.
	The NIO occupies a number of buildings on agreement from the Department of Finance and Personnel. We will be working with colleagues in DFP and across the Northern Ireland Departments to ensure we play our part in achieving this target. In addition we are currently working on the installation of biomass heating and solar panels at Hillsborough Castle, the only building we occupy as owners.
	The NIO is also participating in the DEFRA run Government Carbon Offsetting Fund. All central Government ministerial and official air travel is being offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases Certified Emissions Reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.

Children's Commissioner

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 951W, on the Northern Ireland Children's Commissioner, if he will break down the number of applicants by  (a) gender and  (b) religious affiliation; and how many of the applicants were (i) shortlisted and (ii) interviewed.

Maria Eagle: Out of the 46 applicants for the post of Commissioner for Children and Young People for Northern Ireland:
	(a) There were 17 male and 29 female applicants.
	(b) 14 were from a Protestant community background, 24 from a Roman Catholic community background and eight other. 14 were short-listed for interview. Two candidates withdrew from the competition prior to the interviews being conducted, resulting in 12 candidates being interviewed.

Coronary Heart Disease

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in each health board area have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: Official estimates of the number of people diagnosed with coronary heart disease in each year are not available. However, under the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) of the General Medical Services contract, the total number of GP-registered patients with coronary heart disease is recorded. There are two years of data available as follows.
	
		
			  Table 1: Prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease 
			   Number of patients on QOF coronary heart disease register as at 14 February: 
			   2005  2006 
			 Eastern HSSB 32,018 32,180 
			 Northern HSSB 18,840 19,052 
			 Southern HSSB 13,102 13,534 
			 Western HSSB 10,961 11,222 
			  Source:  Payment Calculation and Analysis System.

Fuel Procurement

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to use public transport fuel procurement as a means of creating a market in Northern Ireland for bio-diesel and bio-ethanol for transport purposes.

David Cairns: The procurement of fuel is an operational matter for public transport providers. Translink, the major provider of public transport services, is currently trialling bio-diesel and is carrying out a review of the technical, logistical and commercial issues associated with its use.

Housing

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether surveys of Housing Executive tenants' homes were undertaken in the Markets area of South Belfast prior to the current refurbishment window/door replacement scheme being started.

David Hanson: Yes. Detailed surveys were completed in April 2005 for each dwelling in the project. The surveys addressed each external element of the dwellings, and highlighted significant problems and defects common to most of them.

Housing

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are waiting for payment of owner occupier housing benefit claims.

David Hanson: Owner occupiers who are awarded housing benefit by the Rate Collection Agency receive a credit to their rate account rather than a payment. Currently 6,500 awards of housing benefit to rate accounts are outstanding. Work to resolve the issue is ongoing.

Housing

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many housing association houses in Northern Ireland are unoccupied; and how many of those houses are located in  (a) West Belfast,  (b) South Belfast,  (c) North Belfast and  (d) East Belfast.

David Hanson: My Department does not hold the information in the format required, but the details were requested from Registered Housing Associations. Thirty seven associations rent accommodation (excluding the Northern Ireland Co-ownership Housing Association Limited). As the question asks for numbers of houses the figures in the table exclude sheltered units of accommodation and flats. The table differentiates between houses available and not available for occupation. Houses may be unavailable for a number of reasons such as requiring or undergoing maintenance before being offered to applicants.
	
		
			   Northern Ireland  West Belfast  South Belfast  North Belfast  East Belfast 
			 Available for occupation 75 11 4 12 13 
			 Unavailable for occupation 165 26 6 37 20 
			 Total unoccupied 240 37 10 49 33

Lagan Valley Hospital

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to provide funding for the further development of the Lagan Valley hospital; and when he expects to respond to the business case put forward by the Down Lisburn Trust.

Paul Goggins: An allocation for the redevelopment of local hospitals was included in the £2.9 billion investment programme announced for health and social services over the next 10 years in the "Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland" in December 2005. Following appraisal by the Department the business case for the development of the Lagan Valley site was returned to Down Lisburn Trust for further refinement. The Department awaits the resubmission of the business case which is expected in early March 2007.

Medical Academics

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many medical academics are employed by higher education institutions in Northern Ireland excluding Queens University Belfast Medical School.

Maria Eagle: In 2005-06, the latest year for which data are available, there were no medical academic staff contracts at the University of Ulster, St. Mary's University College or Stranmillis University College.

Mental Health

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vacancies there are for mental health professionals specialising in the treatment of adolescents with mental health problems in each health board area.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is presented in the table.
	
		
			  Vacancies for mental health professionals specialising in the treatment of adolescents with mental health problems by health board as at January 2007 
			  HPSS organisation  Headcount  WTE 
			 Northern Board 11 11.00 
			 Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist 1 1.00 
			 Child and Adolescent Psychologist 1 1.00 
			 Looked After Children Psychologist 1 1.00 
			 Nurse Practitioners (Community Intensive Treatment Team) 4 4.00 
			 Paediatric Occupational Therapist (Community Intensive Treatment Team) 1 1.00 
			 Child and Young People's Substance Abuse Worker 3 3.00 
			
			 Eastern Board 17 17.00 
			 Psychiatrist 1 0.80 
			 Band 5 Nurse 15 15.00 
			 Band 7 CAMHS Lead Nurse 1 1.00 
			 Southern Board 1 0.60 
			 Senior Family Therapist Grade A 1 0.60 
			
			 Western Board 1 1.00 
			 Clinical Psychologist 1 1.00 
			
			 Total 30 29.60 
			  Notes: 1. WTE—whole-time equivalent 2. 9 (9.00 WTE) vacancies for the Northern Board Area are newly funded posts and still have to be advertised. The other two vacancies have been advertised and interviews are to be held shortly.  Source: NI HPSS Trusts

Mental Health

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether his Department  (a) has evaluated,  (b) is undertaking and  (c) plans (i) to evaluate and (ii) to undertake research to determine the number of young people and adolescents in Northern Ireland with mental health problems.

Paul Goggins: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) commissioned an independent review of mental health and learning disability policy and legislation in October 2002. The review has included policy and services for children and adolescents within its remit and their report has recommended that a study of the mental health needs of children be undertaken as soon as possible. Departmental officials are currently developing the Government's response to the review overall.

Mid-Ulster Hospital

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the projected number of hospital beds available for use on site is at the Mid-Ulster Hospital, Magherafelt in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08,  (c) 2008-09 and  (d) 2009-10.

Paul Goggins: The projected number of hospital beds available for use at Mid-Ulster Hospital, Magherafelt, from 1 January 2007 to 2009-10 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Care of the elderly 41 
			 General medicine 40 
			 General surgery 33 
			 Paediatrics (1)10 
			 Day beds 12 
			 (1) Ambulatory beds, not in-patient 
		
	
	Under the "Developing Better Services" framework, acute hospital services in the Northern Board area will be focused on Antrim Area and Causeway Hospitals. Mid-Ulster Hospital will become a local hospital providing a range of day surgery, day procedures, diagnostics and out-patient services, with in-patient care of the elderly beds for assessment and rehabilitation.
	There are no immediate plans to revise bed capacity at the Mid-Ulster Hospital, until the implementation of "Developing Better Services". Future consideration however would have to address any issues of quality, safety, sustainability or best practice that could emerge during the planning period.

Mid-Ulster Hospital

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the conclusions were of consideration given by United Hospitals Trust to provision of a midwife-led maternity unit at Mid-Ulster Hospital.

Paul Goggins: The trust concluded that any decision on whether to establish a midwife-led maternity unit at the Mid-Ulster Hospital would require careful consideration and should take account of:
	(a) The demand from mothers for such a unit.
	(b) The support from staff and other professional groups within the trust.
	(c) Value for money considerations.
	(d) The wider context of the network of maternity services across the region.
	There are no immediate plans to develop such a unit in the Mid-Ulster area.

Parking Enforcement

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what the value is of the contract with NCP to manage parking enforcement throughout Northern Ireland;
	(2)  how the revenue generated by parking enforcement tickets under the new traffic attendant system will be used;
	(3)  how much revenue has been generated since the new traffic attendant system managed by NCP came into operation; and how much revenue was generated in the last comparable period under the previous parking enforcement system;
	(4)  how many people are employed under the contract with NCP to manage parking enforcement in Northern Ireland;
	(5)  whether the contract with NCP to manage parking enforcement in Northern Ireland provides for performance bonuses for the  (a) chief executive and  (b) traffic wardens.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has written to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	 Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 26 January 2007:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland five Parliamentary Questions: -
	(i) what the value is of the contract with National Car Parks (NCP) to manage parking enforcement throughout Northern Ireland;
	(ii) how the revenue generated by parking enforcement tickets under the new traffic attendant system will be used;
	(iii) how much revenue has been generated since the new traffic attendant system managed by NCP came into operation; and how much revenue was generated in the last comparable period under the previous parking enforcement system;
	(iv) how many people are employed under the contract with NCP to manage parking enforcement in Northern Ireland; and
	(v) whether the contract with NCP to manage parking enforcement in Northern Ireland provides for performance bonuses for the (a) chief executive and (b) traffic wardens.
	I have been asked to reply as the issues raised fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service. For ease of reference, I will reply in the order listed above.
	 (i) National Car Parks contract value.
	As you may be aware our contract with NCP includes for the management of Roads Service's off-street charged car parks as well as the enforcement of on-street parking and waiting restrictions. If NCP provides the appropriate level of service, as measured against key performance indicators (KPIs) under the terms of the contract, a performance related payment, over and above the actual costs to NCP, will be made each month. I must stress that these KPIs do not relate to the number of tickets issued by Traffic Attendants. Under the terms of the contract the maximum annual amount payable to NCP will be £8,848,698.38. This sum includes the maximum performance related payment.
	 (ii) How the revenue from parking charge notices will be used.
	The revenue generated by the payment of penalty charge notices is used, along with income from car parking and other charges, to supplement the overall financing of Roads Service by Central Government. Based on current levels of tickets issued and payment rates, income from penalty charges will not cover the total cost of the NCP contract.
	 (iii) Value of revenue generated since the introduction of the new Traffic attendant system compared with the same period last year.
	Since the introduction of the new Traffic Attendant system managed by NCP, £614,700 has been paid so far to Roads Service as a result of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) (both on-street and off-street) during the period 13 November 2006 to 22 January 2007. With regard to the second part of your question, we do not have the figures for the equivalent period last year as on-street parking was managed by the PSNI. However, I can give you an indication of the number of on-street PCNs being issued under the new system compared to parking tickets issued under the old system. Since the introduction of the new system some 25,551 on-street PCNs have been issued. This equates to an annual figure of approximately 133,000 PCNs compared to an annual average of 66,000 on-street parking tickets issued by PSNI.
	 (iv) The number of people employed by NCP to manage parking enforcement in Northern Ireland.
	I have been advised that NCP currently employ 371 staff in Northern Ireland to manage parking enforcement and operate the contract with Roads Service.
	 (v) Performance bonuses.
	I can advise that the contract Roads Service has with NCP to manage parking enforcement in Northern Ireland does not provide for bonuses to any NCP staff members, including their Chief Executive or Traffic Attendants.

Public Opinion Research

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on commissioning public opinion research in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Peter Hain: The following table shows the amount spent by NIO Statistics and Research Branch on commissioning public opinion research for each of the years from 2001-02 to 2005-06.
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2005-06 334,505.00 
			 2004-05 184,183.00 
			 2003-04 336,616.89 
			 2002-03 39,245.00 
			 2001-02 298,020.00

Rates Collection Agency

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether external consultants were used to develop the new IT system of the Rates Collection Agency.

David Hanson: Following an  Official Journal of the European Union procurement a private sector supplier was awarded a contract in January 2005 to provide the Rate Collection Agency with a managed Information Communications Technology service. This included the development of an integrated revenue collection and housing benefit system.

Rates Collection Agency

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the cost of dealing with the problems created by the new IT system of the Rates Collection Agency.

David Hanson: The contingency plan costs for the new IT system are estimated at £500,000.

Rates Collection Agency

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the new IT system in the Rates Collection Agency cost.

David Hanson: The overall value of the managed service contract which runs for 10 years, subject to a review after eight, is approximately £6 million. The cost of developing the new IT system is subsumed within the overall managed service cost.

Rates Collection Agency

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the new IT system of the Rates Collection Agency  (a) to be fully operational and  (b) to incorporate owner-occupier housing benefit information.

David Hanson: The system is being implemented in four phases and should be fully operational by July 2007. The transfer of owner-occupier housing benefit information is part of Phase 3 (a new housing benefit system) which is scheduled to be implemented by March 2007.

Rates Collection Agency

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a problem has occurred in the migration of data between two IT systems within the Rates Collection Agency.

David Hanson: Migration of data between the old and new rate collection systems has caused some problems but the majority of these were due to the poor quality of data in the old system. While efforts were made to correct erroneous data prior to data migration, it was not possible to identify and correct all the issues. Most of these issues have now been resolved.

Rates Collection Agency

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has caused the problem with the new IT system in the Rates Collection Agency that has resulted in it not being able to process owner-occupier housing benefit applications.

David Hanson: The new IT system is being introduced on a phased basis. Phase 1, the collection and billing system, went live in October 2006. Phase 3, the replacement of the existing owner-occupied housing benefit system, is due for completion during March 2007. An interface was required to update the new collection and billing system with information from the existing housing benefit system. The complexity of replicating and modifying the interface has been challenging. The agency is working with its suppliers to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Rates Collection Agency

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the new computer system was introduced by the Rates Collection Agency.

David Hanson: The new computer system is being introduced in a phased manner. The first phase went live in October 2006 and the final phase is due to be completed in July 2007.

Rates Collection Agency

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether manual payments are being paid for owner-occupier housing benefit applications within the Rates Collection Agency.

David Hanson: Manual payments have been made by the agency in cases where there is evidence of financial hardship.

Rates Collection Agency

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are for changes in the number of staff dealing with owner-occupier housing benefit applications within the Rates Collection Agency.

David Hanson: The agency has planned for additional staff to deal with an anticipated increase in the number of applications for owner-occupier housing benefit and the implementation of the domestic rate relief scheme.

Rates Collection Agency

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average turnaround time is to process owner-occupier housing benefit applications to the Rates Collection Agency.

David Hanson: Average turnaround times apply to those cases where all the information necessary to assess entitlement has been received from the applicant. The average turnaround time achieved to 15 September 2006 was 13 days. Work is currently ongoing to ensure turnaround time improves.

Rates Collection Agency

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many owner-occupiers' housing benefit claims were received by the Rates Collection Agency in Northern Ireland in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006; and how many have been received in 2007.

David Hanson: The information is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 16,704 
			 2005-06 19,979 
			 2006-07 (1)15,972 
			 (1 )Up to and including 21 January 2007

Renewable Energy

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent policy initiatives and activities the Department for Agriculture and Rural Development has undertaken on  (a) the production of energy crops and  (b) the use of farming waste materials for the production of biomass.

David Cairns: Policy initiatives and activities undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on the production of energy crops include:
	Research and development;
	Specialist advice;
	Financial support for the growing of short rotation coppice willow;
	Administration of the EU Aid for Energy Crops Scheme
	Financial support for development of the willow chip supply chain;
	Proposed capital and marketing support under the draft Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2007-13, subject to EU Commission approval.
	Policy initiatives and activities undertaken on the use of farm waste for energy include:
	A proposed research and development programme and associated technology transfer activities;
	Proposals for an Agri-food Waste Challenge Fund, co-financed under the EU Competitiveness Structural Funds Programme 2007-2013. This Programme is currently subject to a public consultation and final decisions on Programme.
	All of these initiatives and activities are described within DARD's recently published Renewable Energy Action Plan. This Plan seeks to help farmers, landowners and wider rural community capitalise on the opportunities presented by renewable energy technologies.

Renewable Energy

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the levels of farm-based activity in renewable energy production in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: No formal assessment has been made of the levels of farm-based activity in renewable energy production in Northern Ireland. However, since 2003, DARD has committed a total of £4 million in grant assistance to a range of renewable energy projects and technologies across rural Northern Ireland. This includes support for short rotation coppice willow, with plantings expected to reach 800 hectares in 2007. DARD has just published a Renewable Energy Action Plan to assist the land based and rural sector to realise the potential of renewable energy in a balanced and sustainable way.

RUC Informers

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the action that will be taken consequent upon the publication of the Report of the Police Ombudsman, into the Royal Ulster Constabulary and protected informers.

Peter Hain: The Government acknowledge that the Police Ombudsman's investigation has succeeded in bringing to light serious failings of duty by a small number of police officers over the period 1991 to 2003. The Chief Constable has accepted the report's recommendations and work on reinvestigating the cases referred to in the report has already begun. Where sufficient evidence can be obtained, prosecutions will be brought, whether against loyalist paramilitaries or police officers if there is sufficient evidence to put before a court that they are thought to have been involved in any criminal activity.

Sinn Fein: Firearms Certificates

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many elected members of Sinn Fein have been issued with firearms certificates for the purposes of carrying personal protection weapons.

Paul Goggins: It is inappropriate to release detailed information on the security arrangements of an identifiable group of individuals, particularly when the publication of such information could increase the risk to the individuals or the group.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Bombox

Janet Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if Cabinet Office officials will meet representatives of the company Bombox to discuss the Cabinet Office's promotional materials on civil contingencies.

Edward Miliband: Cabinet Office regularly receives requests to meet with a wide range of organisations to discuss civil contingencies issues. Each request is carefully considered on a case-by-case basis. Officials are awaiting a letter from Bombox providing an explanation of their issues of concern. Once this is received, we will be able to take a view on how best to address them.

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many parliamentary questions were tabled to her Department in 2006, broken down by  (a) ordinary written and  (b) named day; what percentage of ordinary written questions were answered within 10 working days; and what percentage of named day questions were answered by the specified date.

Hilary Armstrong: The total number of parliamentary questions tabled by hon. Members to the Cabinet Office for answer in 2006 was 611. 71 were named day of which 77 per cent. were answered on the day named.
	The Department does not assess its performance within a 10 working day target. Information on the percentage of ordinary written parliamentary questions answered within 10 parliamentary working days is only available at disproportionate cost.

Redundancy

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what arrangements are in place to allow civil servants facing redundancy in one Government Department to transfer to another; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: The Government have put in place a common framework to support Departments, in their handling of staff facing redundancy to maximise redeployment opportunities and to minimise recourse to compulsory redundancies. In support of this process, a vacancy handling database has been developed to give affected staff priority access to vacancies across other Government Departments.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Priests

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, how many parish priests were recruited in the last 12 months.

Stuart Bell: 2006 figures are still being collated but I can tell the hon. Lady that in 2005 there were 505 ordinations.

Bats

Christopher Fraser: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what estimate the Commissioners have made of the internal damage caused by bats to parish churches.

Stuart Bell: No information is held centrally but a substantial number of churches, especially in rural areas, have roosts. Many are accommodated successfully but the potential for damage to important historic contents is high and managing the situation can be both costly and difficult for the volunteers who care for our church buildings.

Church Repairs

Mark Pritchard: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what financial support is available for rural churches which require repairs to their fabric.

Stuart Bell: The main sources of funding are the Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme, which has a budget of £25 million per annum, and the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme, which reimburses VAT on repairs to historic churches and gives out £10.5 million per annum to English churches. Other, smaller sources include grant-giving bodies such as the Historic Churches Preservation Trust and local trusts. Most repair costs (about £101 million per annum) are met by the local church and community.
	There are no additional sources of funds specifically targeted toward rural churches.

Church Repairs

Mark Pritchard: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what funding sources are available for the repair of historic churches.

Stuart Bell: The main sources of funding are the Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme, which has a budget of £25 million per annum, and the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme, which reimburses VAT on repairs to historic churches and gives out £10.5 million per annum to English churches. Other, smaller sources include grant-giving bodies such as the Historic Churches Preservation Trust and local trusts. Most repair costs (about £101 million per annum) are met by the local church and community.

Olympics

Mark Pritchard: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what plans the Commissioners have to include London's churches in the cultural celebrations surrounding the 2012 Olympics.

Stuart Bell: The dioceses of London, Southwark and Chelmsford (together with other faith groups in the London area) would wish to ensure that churches play their part in welcoming visitors to the Olympics and the recently launched Strategy for Faith Tourism will help set priorities. Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral—two of our leading attractions—continue to show that the Church of England already has a good record of welcoming large numbers of visitors to London.

Stipend

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what the annual change in stipend was for members of the clergy in each of the last three years.

Stuart Bell: The increase in the national stipend benchmark (for clergy of incumbent status) was 3 per cent. in 2004, 5 per cent. in 2005 and 5 per cent. in 2006. The increase in the national minimum stipend (for other clergy) was 3 per cent. in each of those three years.
	Additional information is available from The Central Stipends Authority's report, a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library.

TREASURY

Autumn Performance Reports

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the Deputy Prime Minister's Department is not required to produce an autumn performance report.

Stephen Timms: Autumn performance reports are primarily intended to provide the public, and particularly Parliament, with an update on public service agreements. Only those Departments with public service agreement targets are required to produce one.

EU Finances

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what powers he has to secure the reimbursement of funds paid to the European Union but spent without proper legal authority under the EU treaties;
	(2)  what controls his Department has to ensure that revenue paid to the European Union is spent under a legitimate legal base provided for in the EU treaties.

Edward Balls: holding answer 25 January 2007
	The legal base for specific areas of EC budget expenditure is a matter for the Department which has policy responsibility for that area of spending and is something which they look at closely during the course of negotiations on these areas. The position the Department takes on the area of spending and legal basis is subject to parliamentary scrutiny of the House of Commons' European Scrutiny Committee and the House of Lords' Select Committee on the European Union. The UK makes its contributions to the EC budget as a whole and not to individual spending within it. When Council or Commission decisions have been adopted it is open to a member state to challenge the legal base through the Court of First Instance and the European Court of Justice under procedures laid down in Article 230 of the Treaty.

Financial Services Industry

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on large bonuses being paid to people employed in the financial services industry.

Edward Balls: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Financial Services Industry

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what data his Department collects on trends in the levels of remuneration of people employed in the financial services industry in London compared with other  (a) sectors and  (b) regions of the UK.

Edward Balls: The Office for National Statistics collects data on earnings in the financial sector and all other major industry sectors as part of its annual survey of hours and earnings. The survey includes data for each region of the UK and is published on an annual, weekly and hourly basis, with separate data for basic and overtime pay.

Financial Services Industry

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Bank of England on the potential effects of large bonus payments to people employed in the financial services industry on levels of inflation.

Edward Balls: The Chancellor has regular discussions with the Governor of the Bank of England and other MPC members regarding a wide range of economic and financial issues. It is for employers to decide pay rates in the light of what is necessary to recruit, retain and motivate labour in the market conditions in which they operate. Excessive pay awards increase inflationary pressure, and wage pressures are one of the factors considered by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England when setting interest rates. Excessive pay deals ultimately threaten employment.

Financial Services Industry

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of bonuses in excess of £100,000 on retail prices.

Edward Balls: It is for employers to decide pay rates in the light of what is necessary to recruit, retain and motivate labour in the market conditions in which they operate. Excessive pay awards increase inflationary pressure, and wage pressures are one of the factors considered by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England when setting interest rates. Excessive pay deals ultimately threaten employment.

Financial Services Industry

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the economic effect on the regions of the City of London and the financial markets.

Stephen Timms: The Government have set out their assessment of the importance of the City of London and the financial markets to the UK economy as a whole in "Financial services in London: Global opportunities and challenges" (March 2006), and "The UK financial services sector: Rising to the challenges and opportunities of globalisation", (March 2005), including for example through connections between London and financial centres in Leeds and Edinburgh.

Iraq and Afghanistan

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 421W, on Iraq and Afghanistan, how much he expects the Ministry of Defence to draw down from the Reserve to cover the cost of military operations in 2006-07.

Stephen Timms: The Ministry of Defence drew down £1.4 billion to fund the net additional cost of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of its 2006-07 winter supplementary estimate. The figure will be finalised in MOD's spring supplementary estimate.

Iraq and Afghanistan

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 421W, on Iraq and Afghanistan, whether the £600 million he referred to in his 2006 pre-Budget statement is additional to the £800 million he referred to in his 2006 Budget statement.

Stephen Timms: The £600 million allocated to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2006 pre-Budget report is additional to the amount allocated at Budget 2006.

Ministerial Visits

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on accommodation at the Watergate Hotel for him and his staff in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many nights he has spent at the Washington Embassy on official business since 1997; and how many nights he has spent at the Watergate Hotel in Washington on official business since 1997.

John Healey: The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministerial Visits

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what official visits  (a) he and  (b) the Chief Secretary to the Treasury have made to hospitals in South London since the last general election.

Stephen Timms: Treasury Ministers undertake a range of visits across the United Kingdom in the course of ministerial business.

Museums

John Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish a response to the recommendations of the Goodison Review of private giving and Government support for museums; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government have implemented a number of Goodison's recommendations and will continue to keep the issues raised under review.

Royal Mint Booklet

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was to the public purse of commissioning, publishing and distributing the Royal Mint booklet "United into One Kingdom" published on 16 January 2007.

Edward Balls: The cost to the public purse of commissioning, publishing and distributing the Royal Mint booklet "United into One Kingdom" published on 16 January 2007 is £15,316.

Start-up Businesses

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will break down the numbers of high growth start up businesses referred to on page 24 of Annex B of his Department's Autumn Performance Report on its comprehensive spending review objective 4 by  (a) region and  (b) country.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 26 January 2007
	I have been asked to reply.
	No estimates have been made of the number of high growth start-ups at the regional or country level. This information is not held centrally and therefore can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Unemployment: Wellingborough

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the statement of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 432, 
	(1)  on what basis the claimant count in Wellingborough constituency in October 2006 of 1,535 was calculated; and whether the figure was seasonally adjusted;
	(2)  on what basis the claimant count in Wellingborough constituency in May 1997 of 1,856 was calculated; and whether this figure was seasonally adjusted.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 29 January 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking on what basis the calculation of claimant count figures quoted in a Statement of 7th December 2006, by The Chancellor of the Exchequer, were calculated. I am replying in her absence. (109242,109244)
	The claimant count records the number of people claiming Jobseekers' Allowance and National Insurance credits, at Jobcentre Plus local offices. The counts refer to the total number of claims recorded as live on the second Thursday of each month. The source data are an extract from the Jobcentre Plus Jobseeker's Allowance Payments System which is supplemented by counts of non-computerised claims that are obtained by ONS directly from Jobcentre Plus local offices.
	Each month ONS publishes the figures for Wellingborough Parliamentary Constituency in the East Midlands Labour Market First Release, approximately five weeks after the count day. All published claimant count figures for parliamentary constituencies are not seasonally adjusted.
	The figure of 1,856 is the estimate for April 1997 published in May 1997. The figure of 1,535 was the latest published estimate on December 7 and related to October 2006.

HEALTH

Capture, Access, Treat and Support Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1583W, on capture, access, treat and support service, who decided to designate the information requested as commercially sensitive; and what factors were taken into account when making this decision.

Andy Burnham: Financial information relating to the scheme is considered commercially sensitive as the scheme is still subject to negotiation. The information is also considered commercially sensitive as the Department is engaged in negotiations with the independent sector in relation to the provision of similar health care services in other areas. To release information relating to cost at this time would therefore harm the Department's ability to secure best value for money in the procurement of services from the independent sector for the national health service.
	The disclosure of information was considered in line with provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Clinical Negligence

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the 10 largest claims awarded against her Department under the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts; and what the cause of complaint was in each case.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  10 largest settled clinical negligence scheme for trusts claims as at  31 December 2006 
			  Cause of complaint  Damages paid (£) 
			 Failure/delay in responding to an abnormal fetal heart rate 5,555,000 
			 Delay in diagnosis of fetal distress 5,620,290 
			 Informed consent not correctly obtained 5,624,976 
			 Failure/delay in diagnosis 5,749,111 
			 Failure to respond birth complications 5,793,782 
			 Failure/delay in responding to an abnormal fetal heart rate 5,800,000 
			 Failure/delay in diagnosis 6,248,845 
			 Failure to monitor second stage labour 6,635,000 
			 Failure to perform tests 8,300,000 
			 Fail to diagnose pre-eclampsia 12,400,000

Emergency Admissions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency admissions for  (a) angina and  (b) asthma there have been to hospitals in Lancashire in the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. The following table contains data for emergency admissions for angina and asthma over the last five years for the following national health service organisations.
	 From 2001-02 to 2002-03:
	Chorley and South Ribble National Health Service Trust;
	Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Burnley Healthcare NHS Trust;
	Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Communicare NHS Trust;
	Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Blackpool Wyre and Fylde Community NHS Trust;
	Blackpool Victoria Hospital NHS Trust;
	Preston Primary Care Trust (PCT);
	Blackpool Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Blackburn Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Trust.
	 From 2003-04 to 2005-06:
	Blackpool Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust;
	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Primary Care Trust;
	Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust;
	University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust; and
	Preston PCT.
	
		
			   Angina  Asthma 
			 2001-02 2,943 2,096 
			 2002-03 2,723 1,962 
			 2003-04 2,279 2,214 
			 2004-05 2,024 2,195 
			 2005-06 2,285 2,198 
			  Notes:  1. Finished admission episodes: a finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  2. Diagnosis (primary diagnosis): the primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.  3. Angina defined as the following ICD-10 code in primary diagnosis: I20 Angina Pectoris.  4. Asthma defined as the following ICD-10 codes in primary diagnosis: J45 Asthma; J46 Status asthmaticus.  5. Emergency admission is defined as the following admission methods:  21 = Emergency: via Accident and Emergency (A&E) services, including the casualty department of the provider.  22 = Emergency: via general practitioner (GP).  23 = Emergency: via Bed Bureau, including the Central Bureau.  24 = Emergency: via consultant outpatient clinic. 28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A&E department of another health care provider.  6. Ungrossed data: figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  7. Data quality: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The Information Centre Health and Social Care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

GP Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the GP out-of-hours service  (a) nationally,  (b) in Gloucestershire and  (c) in Stroud constituency;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to recruit GPs from local practices into out-of-hours work; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: All out-of-hours services must be delivered to the national quality requirements, ensuring patients have access to consistently high quality and responsive care, regardless of where they live. Primary care trusts (PCTs) have a responsibility to ensure that they provide, or secure, provision of a high quality, sustainable service to meet the needs of their local population. PCTs must use their resources and expertise to make sure that sufficient numbers of general practitioners (GPs) are recruited to work in the out-of-hours period.
	While most GPs chose to relinquish responsibility for providing out-of-hours services under the new primary care contract, many have continued to participate in the provision of out-of-hours care, working for provider organisations, such as GP co-operatives, mutual and commercial providers, or on PCT rotas.
	Information is not collected centrally on the assessment of GP out-of-hours services.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to her Department was of its activities for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history month.

Rosie Winterton: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) history month was instigated in the United Kingdom by "Schools Out", an anti-bullying campaign that aims to raise awareness of, and combat prejudice against, an otherwise substantially invisible minority.
	The Department spend £2,247 on our activities for the inaugural LGBT history month in 2005. For LGBT history month 2006 the Department spent £2,158.

National Director for Heart Disease and Stroke

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the National Director for Heart Disease and Stroke was first asked to produce the report Mending hearts and brains, published by her Department on 7 December 2006;
	(2)  when the National Director for Emergency Access was first asked to produce the report Emergency access, published by her Department on 7 December 2006.

Rosie Winterton: Both Professor Sir George Alberti and Professor Roger Boyle, as National Clinical Director of Emergency Access and National Clinical Director for Heart Disease and Stroke respectively, routinely update Ministers on progress in their subject areas. On 7 November the Secretary of State asked both clinical directors to prepare reports for publication. The reports, "Emergency Access" and "Mending Hearts and Brains", were published on 5 December. These reports highlight work to transform urgent care which the clinical directors have been leading over the past couple of years.

NHS Treatment: Charges

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to prevent hospital trusts from charging NHS patients who agree voluntarily to pay for fast tracked hospital treatment.

Andy Burnham: The national health service does not charge NHS patients for their hospital treatment. NHS providers should ensure that NHS services are delivered within current waiting time standards and having full regard to clinical priorities.
	In order to make more income available for improving the health service NHS providers may make services available to private patients who pay provided this does not disadvantage NHS-funded patients.

Practice-based Commissioning

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of GP practices in  (a) England and  (b) each primary care trust were awarded (i) component one and (ii) component two of the directed enhanced service payment for implementing practice-based commissioning.

Andy Burnham: As of December 2006, 80 per cent. of general practitioner practices had taken up component one of the directed enhanced service (DES) payment. The figures for individual primary care trusts (PCTs) are listed in the table shown.
	The Department does not currently collect data on component two of the payment.
	
		
			  Percentage of practices taking up component one of the practice based commissioning DES, by PCT 
			  Strategic health authority (SHA)  Primary care trust (PCT)  Percentage of practices taking up DES1 
			  North East SHA Northumberland Care Trust 96 
			  Newcastle PCT 0 
			  North Tyneside PCT 87 
			  Gateshead PCT 79 
			  South Tyneside PCT 62 
			  Sunderland PCT 0 
			  County Durham 100 
			  Darlington PCT 100 
			  Stockton on Tees Teaching PCT 100 
			  Redcar and Cleveland 100 
			  Hartlepool 100 
			  Middlesbrough 5 
			
			  North West SHA Ashton, Leigh and Wigan 97 
			  Blackburn with Darwen 90 
			  Blackpool 92 
			  Bolton 100 
			  Bury 100 
			  Central and Eastern Cheshire 96 
			  Central Lancashire 91 
			  Cumbria 58 
			  East Lancashire 97 
			  Halton and St. Helens 12 
			  Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale 94 
			  Knowsley 100 
			  Liverpool 93 
			  Manchester 60 
			  North Lancashire 44 
			  Oldham 98 
			  Salford 98 
			  Sefton 42 
			  Stockport 0 
			  Tameside and Glossop 49 
			  Trafford 94 
			  Warrington 0 
			  Western Cheshire 0 
			  Wirral 100 
			
			  Yorkshire and the Humber SHA Barnsley 44 
			  Doncaster 100 
			  Rotherham 100 
			  Sheffield 99 
			  Bradford and Airedale Teaching 70 
			  Wakefield 100 
			  Leeds 0 
			  Calderdale 0 
			  Kirklees 97 
			  North East Lincolnshire 91 
			  North Yorkshire and York 81 
			  East Riding of Yorkshire 92 
			  Hull Teaching 98 
			  North Lincolnshire 86 
			
			  East Midlands SHA Nottingham City 37 
			  Northamptonshire 99 
			  Derby City PCT 91 
			  Lincolnshire PCT 92 
			  Bassetlaw PCT 83 
			  Leicestershire County and Rutland 100 
			  Nottinghamshire County PCT 51 
			  Derbyshire County PCT 89 
			  Leicester City PCT 98 
			
			  West Midlands SHA Sandwell 100 
			  Birmingham East and North 96 
			  Wolverhampton 0 
			  Heart of Birmingham 94 
			  South Birmingham 92 
			  Stoke PCT 100 
			  Shropshire County 95 
			  South Staffordshire 48 
			  North Staffordshire 54 
			  Telford and Wrekin PCT 0 
			  Herefordshire PCT 4 
			  Warwickshire 64 
			  Worcestershire 86 
			  Coventry PCT 0 
			  Solihull PCT 100 
			  Dudley PCT 53 
			  Walsall PCT 83 
			
			  East of England SHA Suffolk 100 
			  Peterborough 93 
			  Great Yarmouth and Waveney 100 
			  Luton PCT 100 
			  West Hertfordshire 94 
			  East and North Hertfordshire 45 
			  Bedfordshire 40 
			  West Essex PCT 23 
			  North East Essex PCT 100 
			  Mid Essex PCT 98 
			  South West Essex PCT 92 
			  South East Essex PCT 97 
			  Cambridgeshire 41 
			  Norfolk 99 
			
			  London SHA Barnet 94 
			  Camden 93 
			  Enfield 87 
			  Haringey 95 
			  Islington 0 
			  Wandsworth 94 
			  Croydon 94 
			  Sutton and Merton 98 
			  Richmond and Twickenham 97 
			  Kingston 100 
			  City and Hackney 0 
			  Redbridge 100 
			  Havering 100 
			  Newham 100 
			  Barking and Dagenham 95 
			  Waltham Forest 93 
			  Tower Hamlets 100 
			  Brent 89 
			  Westminster 0 
			  Hammersmith and Fulham 100 
			  Ealing 94 
			  Harrow 95 
			  Hillingdon 0 
			  Kensington and Chelsea 98 
			  Hounslow 0 
			  Bexley 97 
			  Bromley 92 
			  Greenwich 91 
			  Lambeth 93 
			  Lewisham 96 
			  Southwark 100 
			
			  South East Coast SHA Brighton and Hove 77 
			  East Sussex Downs and Weald 100 
			  Eastern and Coastal Kent 53 
			  Hastings and Rother 100 
			  Medway Teaching 93 
			  Surrey 99 
			  West Kent 0 
			  West Sussex Teaching 79 
			
			  South Central SHA Milton Keynes 96 
			  Portsmouth City PCT 83 
			  Southampton City PCT 100 
			  Hampshire PCT 100 
			  Buckinghamshire PCT 100 
			  Oxfordshire PCT 99 
			  Berkshire West PCT 95 
			  Berkshire East PCT 100 
			  Isle of Wight NHS PCT 100 
			
			  South West SHA Dorset 93 
			  Somerset 100 
			  Swindon 97 
			  Wiltshire 100 
			  South Gloucestershire PCT 0 
			  North Somerset 0 
			  Bristol 95 
			  Bath and North East Somerset PCT 100 
			  Gloucestershire 96 
			  Devon PCT 45 
			  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 100 
			  Torbay PCT 0 
			  Plymouth PCT 70 
			  Bournemouth and Poole PCT 100

Waiting Times

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area have been waiting more than 18 weeks for non-emergency treatment that is covered by the 18-week maximum wait target for treatment.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not yet available.
	Voluntary collection and reporting of referral to treatment (RTT) data to support the 18-week target has been under way since autumn 2006. Mandatory national RTT waiting time collection for admitted patients begins this month, and for non-admitted patients in April. Publication will begin as soon as the data are of sufficient quality. For admitted data this is likely to be in the spring and for non-admitted data in the summer.
	The national health service undertook a baseline data research exercise in summer 2006 involving an estimation methodology that looked at hospital attendance and admission records from earlier in the year. The results, which do not have the status of official or national statistics but are available on the 18-week website at www.18weeks.nhs.uk, suggest that, nationally, in early 2006, the pathways of 35 per cent. of admitted and 70-80 per cent. of non-admitted patients met 18 weeks.

Waiting Times

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the board of the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust on its proposed policy of delaying treatment for more than 18 weeks for patients in orthopaedics and general surgery; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: None. In every part of the country, patients can expect a first outpatient appointment within 13 weeks of general practitioner (GP) referral, and admission to hospital within six months of a decision to admit them. This continues to be the case no matter what measures may have been implemented locally to achieve financial balance. By December 2008, patients will be able to expect to wait no longer than 18 weeks in total from GP referral right through to treatment taking in first out-patients, diagnostic tests and follow-ups and admission for a hospital operation if that is what they require.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adventure Activities Licensing Authority

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the role of the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority.

Jim Knight: The licensing authority assures parents, schools and others that providers of high-hazard adventure activities meet an adequate standard of safety for young people not in the charge of their parents. It does this by granting, refusing, revoking or varying a licence to provide those activities, after considering licence applications and obtaining reports from its inspectors; it also investigates complaints and publishes information about licence-holders. In this way the Government help young people to receive instruction or leadership in stimulating activities outdoors (climbing, caving, remote trekking and waterborne activities) without avoidable risks of death or disabling injury.

A-levels

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many female pupils gained A level passes at A to C level in  (a) mathematics,  (b) chemistry,  (c) physics and  (d) biology in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what percentage of the total number of pupils gaining passes at that level in each year each figure represents.

Jim Knight: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  GCE A level passes at grades A to C by female candidates aged 16-18( 1)  in selected subjects, all schools and colleges, 2004 to 2006 
			   Number of females achieving a pass at grade A to C  Females as a percentage of all candidates achieving a pass at Grade A to C in subject 
			   2004  2005  2006  2004  2005  2006 
			 Mathematics(2) 13,984 14,169 15,920 40 39 40 
			 Chemistry 12,339 12,427 12,932 52 51 50 
			 Physics 4,077 3,891 3,778 24 24 23 
			 Biology 17,807 18,012 18,647 62 60 60 
			 All subjects 105,827 109,567 114,673 56 56 56 
			 (1) Age at start of academic year (i.e. 31 August) (2) Mathematics includes passes in GCE Further Mathematics

Biometric Technologies

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to issue guidance on the collection of biometric information by schools without parental consent.

Jim Knight: The Department is currently consulting the Office of the Information Commissioner and the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) about what additional guidance it will be helpful to publish on the use of biometric technologies in schools.
	Biometric information about pupils should be handled in the same way as other personal data about pupils and is subject to the Data Protection Act 1998. Under that Act schools are not necessarily obliged to seek the consent of parents about the use of biometric data, though it is for the school to ensure it is acting in compliance with the Act. However, under the terms of the Act schools should provide notification of their use of data to individuals involved.

Biometric Technologies

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of schools that collect biometric information from pupils without parental consent.

Jim Knight: The Department has no estimate of the number of schools that collect biometric information from pupils.

Biometric Technologies

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what  (a) meetings and  (b) correspondence he has had with (i) the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, (ii) the Office of the Information Commissioner, (iii) other Government Departments and (iv) other groups or individuals on the updating of guidance to schools on the use of biometric technologies in the last six months; and what meetings he plans to have with those groups on subject in the next three months.

Jim Knight: holding answer 22 January 2007
	The officials held preliminary meetings with the Office of the Information Commissioner on 6 November 2006 and with the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) on 16 November 2006. Discussions are continuing to clarify what additional guidance it will be necessary to issue to schools on the use of biometric technologies. Further meetings will be held as appropriate to achieve this.

Building Schools for the Future

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made in implementing the Building Schools for the Future programme; what the role is of PricewaterhouseCoopers in delivering the programme; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: To date, six local authorities have signed contracts for their Building Schools for the Future (BSF) projects. The first of these was Bristol in June 2006, which marked the establishment of the first Local Education Partnership (LEP), a long-term public-private partnership which is the preferred model for delivering local BSF projects. Greenwich and Manchester signed contracts with their respective private sector partners in October and November 2006, followed by Lancashire, Bradford and Lambeth in December 2006. We expect several more contracts to be signed in the coming months. 18 local authority projects are currently in procurement; seven are now at preferred bidder stage. All but five of the wave 1-3 projects have had their strategies approved. We are just starting work with the 15 authorities in wave 4, which were announced in December 2006.
	PricewaterhouseCoopers has no role in delivering the BSF programme. Following  Official Journal of the European Union procurement, the Department has placed a contract with PricewaterhouseCoopers to evaluate the impact of the Building Schools for the Future programme on educational achievement. This is in line with Treasury "Green Book" requirements for major new programmes. This evaluation also aims to learn lessons from the early stages of the programme to inform its development.

Dedicated Schools Grant

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school allocation of dedicated schools grant per pupil is in each local education authority for 2007-08, set out in descending order of grant.

Jim Knight: DSG allocations for 2007-08 are based on pupil numbers from the January pupil counts and a single guaranteed unit of funding per full-time equivalent pupil aged three to 15 (as announced December 2005). These can be found at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=9405 and a copy has been placed in the House Library.
	There is no separate guaranteed unit of funding for primary and secondary schools.

Early Retirement

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers took early retirement in  (a) Suffolk,  (b) Norfolk,  (c) Essex,  (d) Cambridgeshire,  (e) Bedfordshire,  (f) Hertfordshire and  (g) England in each year since 1997, broken down by type of institution.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available at local authority level. The following tables provides the number of teachers who took early retirement, (defined as before the normal pension age of 60 on premature, actuarially reduced benefits (ARB) or ill health grounds) in each year from 1997-98 to 2005-06 broken down by type of institution in England and Wales.
	
		
			  Early retirements by type of institution( 1) , 1997-98 to 2005-06 
			  England and Wales 
			   Maintained schools sector 
			  Financial year  Nursery/primary  Secondary  Special/PRU  Total maintained sector 
			 1997-98(4) 7,510 7,840 750 16,100 
			 1998-99 2,280 2,430 280 4,990 
			 1999-2000 2.430 2,660 240 5,330 
			 2000-01 2,960 2,970 340 6,270 
			 2001-02 2,830 3,110 370 6,310 
			 2002-03 2,970 3,270 330 6,570 
			 2003-04 3,220 3,820 330 7,370 
			 2004-05(5) 3,560 4,330 360 8,260 
			 2005-06(5) 3,660 4,700 390 8,760 
		
	
	
		
			  England and Wales 
			   Other sectors( 2) 
			  Financial year  Independent  Further( 3)  and higher education  Unknown  Total all sectors 
			 1997-98(4) 1,230 5,850 310 7,390 
			 1998-99 180 180 180 540 
			 1999-2000 190 190 190 580 
			 2000-01 270 880 120 1,260 
			 2001-02 380 1,070 120 1,560 
			 2002-03 410 1,220 140 1,770 
			 2003-04 410 1,090 210 1,710 
			 2004-05(5) 460 1,320 250 2,020 
			 2005-06(5) 600 1,380 280 2,260 
			 (1) The last known institution where the teacher was in teaching service which may have been some years before the date of retirement. (2) Including only those retirements from independent and further and higher education establishments covered under the Teachers' Pension Scheme. (3) Includes sixth form colleges. (4) The effect of the change in the Teachers' Pension Scheme, from 31 August 1997, was that many more teachers took early retirement in 1997 than in other years. Actuarially Reduced Benefits are included from 2000-01. (5) Data are provisional.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: DfES, Pensioner statistical system

Early Retirement

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers took early retirement in  (a) Chorley,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) England in each year since 1997, broken down by type of institution.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available at local authority level.
	The following table provides the number of teachers who took early retirement, (defined as before the normal pension age of 60 on premature, actuarially reduced benefits (ARB) or ill health grounds) in each year from 1997-98 to 2005-06 broken down by type of institution in England.
	
		
			  Early retirements by type of institution( 1) ,1997-98 to 2005-06, England 
			   Maintained sector  Other sectors( 2)   
			  Financial year  Nursery/  primary  Secondary  Special/  PRU  Total maintained sector  Independent  Further and Higher education  Unknown  Total all sectors 
			 1997-98(3) 6,780 7,140 710 14,630 1,200 5,560 280 21,670 
			 1998-99 2,120 2,270 270 4,660 180 570 170 5,580 
			 1999-2000 2,250 2,490 240 4,970 180 580 130 5,870 
			 2000-01 2,740 2,730 330 5,800 260 830 110 7,000 
			 2001-02 2,580 2,930 350 5,860 370 1,010 110 7,350 
			 2002-03 2,680 2,990 320 5,990 400 1,150 130 7,670 
			 2003-04 2,940 3,540 320 6,810 400 1,030 200 8,440 
			 2004-05(4) 3,290 4,000 350 7,640 450 1,240 230 9,560 
			 2005-06(4) 3,370 4,370 380 8,120 590 1,290 270 10,270 
			 (1) The last known institution where the teacher was in teaching service which may have been some years before the date of retirement. (2) Including only those retirements from independent and further and higher education establishments covered under the Teachers' Pensions Scheme. (3) The effect of the change in the Teachers' Pensions Scheme, from 31 August 1997, was that many more teachers took early retirement in 1997 than in other years. Actuarially Reduced Benefits are included from 2000-01. (4) Provisional. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  DfES Pensioner statistical system

Education Funding: Ashford

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Learning and Skills Agency spent on programme expenditure in Ashford local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The programme expenditure incurred by the Learning and Skills Council at local authority level is not collected by the Department. This is an operational matter for the LSC as they determine the level of funding required at local level to deliver their key priorities and targets. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, has written to the hon. Gentleman with further information and copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Education Funding: Gravesham

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Learning and Skills Agency spent on programme expenditure in Gravesham's local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The programme expenditure incurred by the Learning and Skills Council at local authority level is not collected by the Department. This is an operational matter for the LSC as they determine the level of funding required at local level to deliver their key priorities and targets. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, has written to the hon. Gentleman with further information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Education Funding: Tunbridge Wells

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Learning and Skills Agency spent on programme expenditure in Tunbridge Wells local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The programme expenditure incurred by the Learning and Skills Council at local authority level is not collected by my Department. This is an operational matter for the LSC as they determine the level of funding required at local level to deliver their key priorities and targets. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, has written to the hon. Gentleman with further information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Failing Schools

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have been put on the failing list subsequent to the closure of a neighbouring school in its catchment area since May 1997.

Jim Knight: The information requested could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Further Education

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been made available for the provision of further education in  (a) absolute terms and  (b) per head of population in (i) Lincolnshire, (ii) Nottinghamshire, (iii) Derbyshire, (iv) Leicestershire, (v) Rutland and (vi) Northamptonshire in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: Between 1997 and 2005 we increased funding for further education by £2.5 billion—an increase of 48 per cent. in real terms. We are continuing to increase investment in further education with our overall investment in post-16 skills through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) increasing from £9.9 billion in 2005-06 to £11.2 billion in 2007-08. Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive will write to the hon. Gentleman with further details regarding the local information that he has requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries.

Further Education Colleges

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures are planned to be used to assess the performance of further education colleges to determine the basis for intervention by the Learning and Skills Council under Clause 17, Part 2 of the Further Education and Training Bill 2007.

Bill Rammell: Further Education Colleges have the lead responsibility for assessing their own performance and identifying what needs to be done to secure continuous improvement.
	Clause 17, through the new section 56B, will place an obligation on the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to develop and publish its policy with respect to the exercise of its powers under section 56A. This will include its policy on assessing the performance of colleges to determine any appropriate LSC intervention.
	In the meantime, the guidance document "Identifying and Managing Underperformance" sets out an overview of the evidence base currently being used to determine whether LSC intervention is necessary. This guidance is available on the LSC website and a copy has been placed in the House Library.

Further Education: Finance

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what Government spending was on further education in the most recent period for which figures are available broken down by  (a) Learning and Skills Council and  (b) local education authority; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is the main funding body for post-16 education providers, which can include local authorities. Total further education (FE) expenditure made available by the LSC to further education colleges and other institutions was £5.59 billion in 2005-06. This includes participation and other FE funding and is a real terms increase of 48 per cent. compared with 1997-98.
	The LSC may allocate FE participation funding to a local authority where they are offering FE provision in line with Government priorities. The Department does not hold information on individual providers' funding allocations, but the allocations for 2005-06 can be found at the following link:
	http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/2005/funding/streams/fe-2005-06-allocations-at-26-july.xls

GCSEs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools did not enter any pupils for a GCSE in  (a) a modern foreign language,  (b) history and  (c) geography in 2006.

Jim Knight: Revised 2006 figures show that 1,373 schools did not enter any pupils for a full GCSE in a modern foreign language, 1,479 schools did not enter any pupils for a full GCSE in history and 1,516 schools did not enter any pupils for a full GCSE in geography. These figures include all schools that are published in the secondary schools achievement and attainment tables and so include special schools and independent schools.

History Teaching

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the national curriculum includes provision to ensure that all children are educated on the history of the Union of Scotland and England; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 23 January 2007
	The national curriculum for history states that one of the six units pupils must be taught at key stage 3 is Britain 1500-1750, which comprises a study of crowns, parliaments and people; the major political, religious and social changes affecting people throughout the British Isles, including the local area if appropriate. The Programme of Study sets out a breadth of study specifying that pupils must be taught aspects of the histories of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

John Kelly Technology Colleges

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the state of the buildings at  (a) John Kelly boys technology college and  (b) John Kelly girls technology college; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The bulk of schools capital is allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their priorities. The assessment of the state of the buildings and the prioritisation of investment is carried out locally, rather than by the Department. Authorities and schools are encouraged to operate good quality, transparent asset management processes and to align their priorities with those of central Government.
	Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £5.5 billion in 2005-06 and will rise further to over £6.3 billion by 2007-08. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock.

School League Tables

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) pupils,  (b) girls and  (c) boys attended schools deemed (i) inadequate, (ii) satisfactory, (iii) good and (iv) outstanding in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: Between 2000 and 2004/05, schools' overall effectiveness was judged on the basis of a seven point scale as follows: (1) Excellent, (2) Very Good, (3) Good, (4) Satisfactory, (5) Unsatisfactory, (6) Poor and (7) Very Poor. Ofsted did not produce an overall judgment on schools' effectiveness prior to this. New school inspection arrangements came into operation from September 2005. These 'raise the bar' in terms of expectations on schools. Schools are now judged on the basis of a four point scale as follows: (1) Outstanding, (2) Good, (3) Satisfactory and (4) Inadequate.
	The following tables set out the available data from 2000 to 2005/06. Due to changes in inspection criteria in 2005/06, it is not possible to directly read across from tables A-F to G. The number of schools inspected each year varies and this impacts on the number of pupils attending schools in each of the categories.
	
		
			  Inspections of nursery, primary, secondary, special schools, pupil referral units, city technology colleges and academies conducted under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 
			  Table A 
			  January 2000  Boys  Girls  Total pupils 
			 Excellent/Very Good 110,360 111,520 221,880 
			 Good 193,590 187,680 381,270 
			 Satisfactory 111,920 105,930 217,850 
			 Unsatisfactory, poor and very poor 50,280 44,290 94,570 
			 Total 466,160 449,420 915,570 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B 
			  2000/01  Boys  Girls  Total pupils 
			 Excellent/Very Good 189,110 192,340 381,450 
			 Good 307,850 292,720 600,570 
			 Satisfactory 190,760 176,930 367,700 
			 Unsatisfactory, poor and very poor 54,400 48,600 103,000 
			 Total 742,120 710,590 1,452,710 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C 
			  2001/02  Boys  Girls  Total pupils 
			 Excellent/Very Good 174,940 169,400 344,340 
			 Good 296,660 283,190 579,850 
			 Satisfactory 176,930 161,610 338,540 
			 Unsatisfactory, poor and very poor 47,120 42,950 90,070 
			 Total 695,640 657,160 1,352,800 
		
	
	
		
			  Table D 
			  2002/03  Boys  Girls  Total pupils 
			 Excellent/Very Good 160,690 173,090 333,790 
			 Good 280,910 263,180 544,090 
			 Satisfactory 170,490 156,140 326,630 
			 Unsatisfactory, poor and very poor 36,240 31,080 67,320 
			 Total 648,330 623490 1,271,820 
		
	
	
		
			  Table E 
			  2003/04  Boys  Girls  Total pupils 
			 Excellent/Very Good 127,630 131,020 258,650 
			 Good 353,350 343,630 696,980 
			 Satisfactory 202,360 188,240 390,600 
			 Unsatisfactory, poor and very poor 56,060 51,840 107,900 
			 Total 739,400 714,730 1,454,130 
		
	
	
		
			  Table F 
			  2004/05  Boys  Girls  Total pupils 
			 Excellent/Very Good 116,970 120,910 237,880 
			 Good 225,480 208,610 434,100 
			 Satisfactory 117,550 108,890 226,440 
			 Unsatisfactory, poor and very poor 26,570 23,270 49,840 
			 Total 486,580 461,680 948,260 
		
	
	
		
			  Inspections of nursery, primary, secondary, special schools, pupil referral units, city technology colleges and academies conducted under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 
			  Table G 
			  2005/06  Boys  Girls  Total pupils 
			 Outstanding 113,740 118,660 232,400 
			 Good 469,040 461,170 930,210 
			 Satisfactory 378,910 358,540 737,460 
			 Inadequate 108,740 98,720 207,460 
			 Total 1,070,430 1,037,100 2,107,530

School League Tables

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the GCSE and equivalent results were for  (a) pupils attending maintained schools and  (b) pupils attending all schools at the end of key stage 4 in 2005-06 in each (i) local authority and (ii) Government office region.

Jim Knight: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalent results of pupils at the end of key stage 4( 1)  in 2005-06( 2)  by gender for each local authority( 3)  and Government office region 
			   Maintained schools( 4)  All schools 
			   Number of pupils at the end of key stage 4  Percentage of pupils who achieved 5+ A*-C grades  Number of pupils at the end of key stage 4  Percentage of pupils who achieved 5+ A*-C grades 
			  North-east  31,682  57.4  33,181  58.2 
			 Hartlepool 1,196 57.5 1,223 56.3 
			 Middlesbrough 1,772 48.9 1,779 48.8 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 2,029 50.3 2,066 49.4 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 2,451 55.3 2,623 57.5 
			 Darlington 1,218 57.9 1,312 57.9 
			 Durham 5,936 56.6 6,181 57.9 
			 Northumberland 3,914 62.0 3,959 62.3 
			 Gateshead 2,280 69.7 2,349 68.8 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 2,868 55.8 3,384 60.6 
			 North Tyneside 2,284 62.2 2,429 62.0 
			 South Tyneside 2,003 55.5 2,011 55.3 
			 Sunderland 3,731 55.0 3,865 55.6 
			  
			  North-west  88,019  56.6  93,903  57.9 
			 Halton 1,560 52.6 1,563 52.5 
			 Warrington 2,505 66.4 2,522 66.0 
			 Cheshire 8,361 61.9 9,147 63.9 
			 Cumbria 6,191 57.9 6,665 58.8 
			 Bolton 3,678 51.1 4,116 54.1 
			 Bury 2,382 59.0 2,629 61.9 
			 Manchester 4,795 47.6 5,644 53.5 
			 Oldham 3,188 55.0 3,346 56.7 
			 Rochdale 2,783 50.3 2,829 50.1 
			 Salford 2,622 51.4 2,781 51.2 
			 Stockport 3,355 58.7 3,846 62.0 
			 Tameside 3,099 50.0 3,153 49.6 
			 Trafford 2,937 70.2 3,050 70.0 
			 Wigan 4,161 56.9 4,166 56.9 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 1,865 51.5 2,243 56.5 
			 Blackpool 1,712 48.9 1,825 51.3 
			 Lancashire 14,504 58.3 15,160 58.4 
			 Knowsley 2,013 48.8 2,021 48.6 
			 Liverpool 5,893 54.1 6,133 55.0 
			 St. Helens 2,258 56.6 2,367 56.1 
			 Sefton 3,891 61.9 4,201 64.2 
			 Wirral 4,266 57.7 4,496 58.3 
			  
			  Yorkshire and Humber  63,076  54.5  66,584  55.6 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 4,087 62.2 4,274 63.6 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 3,230 52.4 3,359 53.7 
			 North East Lincolnshire 2,212 48.2 2,248 48.3 
			 North Lincolnshire 2,150 54.1 2,184 53.3 
			 York 1,899 62.1 2,134 65.4 
			 North Yorkshire 7,384 64.2 7,946 65.9 
			 Barnsley 2,639 49.5 2,661 49.4 
			 Doncaster 3,847 51.9 3,928 51.2 
			 Rotherham 3,813 52.2 3,834 52.0 
			 Sheffield 5,755 48.5 6,062 49.9 
			 Bradford 6,095 50.2 6,552 51.5 
			 Calderdale 2,614 58.1 2,777 58.0 
			 Kirklees 4,737 53.0 5,069 52.4 
			 Leeds 8,489 52.2 9,028 54.1 
			 Wakefield 4,125 57.8 4,528 60.5 
			  
			  East Midlands  52,780  55.4  56,182  56.8 
			 Derby 2,914 55.6 3,053 55.8 
			 Derbyshire 9,018 57.1 9,558 57.6 
			 Leicester 3,583 47.6 3,923 49.6 
			 Rutland 487 68.2 781 80.2 
			 Leicestershire 7,829 58.4 8,419 60.1 
			 Lincolnshire 8,458 62.2 8,781 62.9 
			 Northamptonshire 8,144 54.5 8,690 56.7 
			 Nottingham 2,727 44.8 3,125 49.1 
			 Nottinghamshire 9,620 51.2 9,852 51.7 
			  
			  West Midlands  67,739  56.4  72,113  57.6 
			 Herefordshire 2,058 61.8 2,204 61.7 
			 Worcestershire 6,516 57.6 7,320 60.9 
			 Telford and Wrekin 2,182 55.4 2,277 56.3 
			 Shropshire 3,477 62.6 3,938 65.3 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 3,008 49.3 3,018 49.1 
			 Staffordshire 10,281 56.5 10,716 57.7 
			 Warwickshire 6,258 58.5 6,826 61.5 
			 Birmingham 12,465 58.8 13,297 58.4 
			 Coventry 3,747 47.9 4,109 51.1 
			 Dudley 4,070 55.8 4,118 55.6 
			 Sandwell 3,698 47.3 3,777 46.3 
			 Solihull 3,231 66.8 3,421 67.8 
			 Walsall 3,796 50.0 3,924 50.0 
			 Wolverhampton 2,952 55.9 3,168 57.3 
			  
			  East of England  65,367  59.3  71,090  61.4 
			 Luton 2,347 51.0 2,413 50.0 
			 Bedfordshire 4,799 56.2 5,353 60.1 
			 Peterborough 2,189 58.3 2,354 55.9 
			 Cambridgeshire 5,840 60.2 6,607 63.1 
			 Southend-on-Sea 2,099 63.0 2,157 63.1 
			 Thurrock 1,739 56.0 1,796 54.2 
			 Essex 16,346 59.0 17,067 60.1 
			 Hertfordshire 13,116 64.7 15,147 68.5 
			 Norfolk 8,972 55.4 9,505 57.0 
			 Suffolk 7,920 59.4 8,691 61.8 
			  
			  London( 5)  74,140  58.3  84,053  59.8 
			 Inner London 23,248 53.6 27,712 55.3 
			 Camden 1,474 54.7 1,799 60.8 
			 Hackney 1,391 50.9 1,630 48.3 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,153 62.1 1,632 67.3 
			 Haringey 2,113 51.7 2,369 53.5 
			 Islington 1,459 47.0 1,590 44.6 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 586 63.0 1,336 42.6 
			 Lambeth 1,409 55.4 1,559 54.8 
			 Lewisham 2,229 54.8 2,541 54.4 
			 Newham 3,308 52.8 3,402 51.6 
			 Southwark 2,331 48.8 2,846 56.0 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,553 56.3 2,725 55.2 
			 Wandsworth 1,841 58.3 2,304 61.8 
			 Westminster 1,401 48.7 1,979 54.6 
			  
			 Outer London 50,892 60.5 56,341 62.0 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,007 55.8 2,128 52.7 
			 Barnet 3,419 65.5 3,953 66.8 
			 Bexley 3,219 64.2 3,225 64.1 
			 Brent 2,595 61.4 2,822 61.8 
			 Bromley 3,583 67.6 3,935 69.4 
			 Croydon 3,786 56.7 4,501 61.5 
			 Ealing 2,627 61.8 3,044 63.1 
			 Enfield 3,630 53.5 3,708 53.9 
			 Greenwich 2,499 43.0 2,788 45.1 
			 Harrow 2,160 64.3 2,680 68.5 
			 Havering 3,055 63.3 3,094 63.3 
			 Hillingdon 2,957 54.7 3,248 55.1 
			 Hounslow 2,613 63.1 2,735 61.5 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1,536 68.1 1,848 69.7 
			 Merton 1,572 48.2 1,840 55.3 
			 Redbridge 3,126 72.1 3,318 72.7 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,405 56.5 2,055 66.9 
			 Sutton 2,510 70.8 2,625 70.9 
			 Waltham Forest 2,593 51.1 2,794 53.1 
			  
			  South-east  91,575  59.7  104,305  62.7 
			 Bracknell Forest 1,062 59.8 1,363 66.3 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,624 64.2 2,158 71.3 
			 West Berkshire 1,996 65.0 2,351 68.7 
			 Reading 1,025 56.1 1,360 64.3 
			 Slough 1,420 63.2 1,459 61.5 
			 Wokingham 1,826 64.5 2,066 66.9 
			 Milton Keynes 2,594 49.9 2,717 48.8 
			 Buckinghamshire 5,789 68.8 6,285 69.9 
			 Brighton and Hove 2,334 55.2 2,725 58.9 
			 East Sussex 5,455 55.4 6,145 57.9 
			 Portsmouth 2,045 47.6 2,386 54.3 
			 Southampton 2,424 48.4 2,715 52.7 
			 Hampshire 14,481 61.6 15,821 63.3 
			 Isle of Wight 1,555 47.9 1,670 50.2 
			 Medway 3,451 56.4 3,606 56.2 
			 Kent 16,731 61.4 18,378 63.1 
			 Oxfordshire 6,579 56.6 8,049 63.1 
			 Surrey 10,554 63.0 13,501 67.9 
			 West Sussex 8,630 58.9 9,550 61.3 
			  
			  South-west  58,113  58.2  64,306  60.8 
			 Bath and north-east Somerset 2,245 66.9 2,668 72.0 
			 Bristol, City of 3,104 43.8 4,035 54.3 
			 North Somerset 2,288 58.4 2,364 58.7 
			 South Gloucestershire 3,080 54.9 3,091 54.7 
			 Cornwall 6,151 57.3 6,433 58.4 
			 Isles of Scilly 27 85.2 27 85.2 
			 Torbay 1,496 54.2 1,540 54.5 
			 Plymouth 3,153 59.8 3,262 60.5 
			 Devon 7,956 58.0 8,843 60.3 
			 Bournemouth 1,842 54.7 1,959 56.9 
			 Poole 1,758 63.1 1,927 64.9 
			 Dorset 4,633 62.2 5,230 65.0 
			 Gloucestershire 7,099 63.9 7,882 65.6 
			 Somerset 5,952 56.6 7,030 61.1 
			 Swindon 2,286 53.5 2,319 52.7 
			 Wiltshire 5,043 58.2 5,696 62.0 
			  
			 Total maintained sector 592,491 57.5 — — 
			 Total all schools(6) — — 645,931 59.2 
			 (1) Number of pupils on roll at the end of key stage 4 in the 2005-06 academic year. (2) Including attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (3) Local authority, Government office region and total (maintained sector) figures are adjusted for pupils recently arrived from overseas. (4) Information for GCSE and equivalent results for maintained schools at local authority level were published in SFR01/2007, "GCSE and Equivalent Examination results in England 2005-06 (Revised)" http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000702/index.shtml (5) Excludes City of London. (6) Includes City of London.

Maintained Schools: Overseas Pupils

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were admitted to maintained schools in England directly from overseas in each year since 2002.

Jim Knight: The requested information is not collected centrally.

PGCE

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people obtained a post-graduate certificate of education in 2006; and how many went into teaching within state education.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not yet available.
	Performance Profiles data, collected by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) indicate that in the academic year 2004/05, the latest year for which data are available, 21,780 people gained qualified teacher status (QTS) through post-graduate routes. Of these, 15,530 people (71 per cent.) were known to be teaching in the maintained sector six months after gaining QTS. A further 1,180 (5 per cent.) were in a teaching post but the sector was unknown. The data include trainees from Universities and other Higher Education (HE) institutions, School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) and Open Universities (OU), but exclude employment based routes.

School Exclusions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many  (a) permanent and  (b) temporary exclusions there were in England in each year from 2000 to 2006; and how many were as a result of (i) drug taking, (ii) drug selling, (iii) violence towards other pupils, (iv) violence towards teachers, (v) vandalism of school property, (vi) theft of school property, (vii) possession of a weapon and (viii) other reasons;
	(2)  how many instances were reported of teachers in England being  (a) verbally and  (b) physically abused by (i) pupils and (ii) parents in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The number of assaults on school staff is not collected centrally.
	For the academic years 2003-04 and 2004-05 information is available on the reasons for pupil exclusions. These reasons include physical assault against an adult and verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult.
	Tables showing the available information about the number of pupils who have been excluded from school on either a permanent of fixed period basis including all the available reasons for exclusion have been placed in the House Library.

School Leavers: Bexleyheath and Crayford

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in Bexleyheath and Crayford left further education having completed A-levels or equivalent to enter full-time employment in 2005-06.

Bill Rammell: In 2005/06, 260 students aged 16-18 completed their A level (or equivalent qualification) studies in institutions located in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency. There is no data available on the number of these young people who entered full-time employment at this local level.

School Leavers: Bexleyheath and Crayford

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in Bexleyheath and Crayford left secondary education having completed GCSE qualifications and  (a) entered full-time employment and  (b) continued study at a further education establishment in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06.

Jim Knight: In 2005, 174 (5.2 per cent.) of 16-year-olds in Bexley left compulsory education and entered full-time employment. Figures for 2006 are not yet available.
	These data are for 16-year-olds resident in Bexley LA; figures are not available for Bexleyheath and Crayford. It is for all 16-year-olds who have finished compulsory education; figures are not available for just those who have finished a GCSE qualification. The figures relate to the activity of school-leavers on 1 November 2005.
	At end 2004, 800 (26 per cent.) 16-year-olds in Bexley were participating in full-time education at a sixth form college or other further education college. In addition, a further 1,500 (50 per cent.) 16-year-olds were participating in full-time education in schools.
	These data are for all 16-year-olds resident in Bexley LA, there is no information available solely on those that have finished their GCSE qualifications. Bexley LA is the smallest local area for which data is available. End 2004 is the most recent year for which data are available.

School Leavers: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students within Romford constituency left secondary education having finished their GCSE qualifications and  (a) entered full-time employment and  (b) continued study at a further education establishment in 2005-06.

Jim Knight: In 2005, 180 (5.6 per cent.) of 16-year-olds in Havering left compulsory education and entered into employment.
	These data are for 16-year-olds resident in Havering LEA, figures are not available for Romford. It is for all 16-year-olds who have finished compulsory education, figures are not available for just those who have finished a GCSE qualification. The figures relate to the activity on 1 November 2005 after finishing compulsory education.
	At end 2004, 1,700 (56 per cent.) of 16-year-olds in Havering were participating in full-time education at a sixth-form college or other further education college. In addition a further 700 (22 per cent.) of 16-year-olds were participating in full-time education in schools.
	These data are for all 16-year-olds resident in Havering LEA, there is no information available solely on those that have finished their GCSE qualifications. Havering LEA is the smallest local area for which data are available. End 2004 is the most recent year for which data is available.

School Sprinklers

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to publish the Building Bulletin 100 document on sprinklers in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 24 January 2007
	We include advice on sprinklers in our new guide on fire safety, Building Bulletin 100, "Designing and Managing Against the Risk of Fire in Schools", which has been out to public consultation. Feedback from that exercise showed that more extensive guidance on sprinklers was wanted, and we commissioned further studies to be carried out.
	Consultants are compiling case studies of school projects where sprinklers have been installed, covering both capital and running costs. They are also examining how installation costs might be partially offset by design freedoms, such as fewer fire doors, and what the impact of reduced insurance premiums could be. Other work is being done on developing a risk assessment tool for use with individual projects, and a cost benefit analysis of installing sprinklers in schools, sensitive to small variations in data.
	The studies will be completed by the end of January and we will make them public. Some of the work will also be included in the final version of Building Bulletin 100, which we expect to publish before the end of May.

Schools IT

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much schools in England spent on IT in each of the last three financial years.

Jim Knight: The following funding was issued to schools through the Standards Fund to spend on information and communications technology:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2003-04 540 
			 2004-05 593 
			 2005-06 615 
		
	
	Schools supplement this investment from other budgets, such as Devolved Formula Capital and the Schools Development Grant.

SEAL Programme

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding will be provided to primary schools for the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning programme in each of the next three years; what plans there are to provide funding for secondary schools for similar programmes; and whether such funding will be additional to the budget for the primary schools programme.

Jim Knight: The Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme is being rolled out in phases. £7 million is available for Phase 2 of the primary roll-out this year (2006-07). A total of £7 million will also be available for Phase 3 of the primary roll-out and Phase 1 of the Secondary roll-out next year (2007-08). Decisions about SEAL funding for 2008-09 to 2010-11 will be made as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review that is currently taking place.

Special Educational Needs

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of parents making an appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal saw their children assigned to  (a) school action and  (b) school action plus in each year since the scheme's inception.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	SENDIST has no power to assign children to school action or school action plus. In appeals against local authority decisions to refuse to make a statutory assessment of children, it can either order an assessment or dismiss the appeal. The Tribunal has no data on the level of support children receive in their schools prior to their parents' making appeals.

Special Schools

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many special school places were available in each local authority area in England in each year since 1997.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 22 January 2007
	The requested information is not collected centrally.
	The available information on the number of pupils in special schools has been placed in the House Library.

Specialist Schools

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the future of specialist schools in the South East of England.

Jim Knight: holding answer 23 January 2007
	Specialist schools in the South East of England and on a national level will continue to be funded and supported under the Specialist Schools Programme. This is a key initiative to raise standards of achievement and to improve choice for pupils. There are currently 2,608 designated specialist schools, which is approximately 85 per cent. of all eligible secondary schools. The Government have a target that by 2008, 95 per cent. of eligible secondary schools that want to be, will be either specialist or an academy.

Sports Coaching Awards

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much he has allocated to sports coaching awards in each year since 1997; and how much he expects to allocate to such awards in each year to 2012.

Jim Knight: holding answer 23 January 2007
	Funding for Community Sports Coaches began in 2004-05, and is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 210,000 
			 2005-06 570,000 
			 2006-07 3,500,000 
			 2007-08 4,069,000 
		
	
	Funding beyond 2008 is subject to the outcome of the comprehensive spending review.

Teacher Absence

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many days of teacher absence were covered by fully qualified supply teachers in  (a) England and  (b) Gloucestershire in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many days of teacher absence were covered by supply teaching assistants in  (a) England and  (b) Gloucestershire in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 24 January 2007
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Teacher Statistics

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers  (a) were recruited and  (b) took retirement in each year from 1997 to 2006, broken down by local education authority.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available at local authority level.
	The following table provides information within the maintained schools sector for the number of qualified teacher entrants and wastage in England between 1997-98 and 2004-05, the latest year available.
	
		
			  Teacher flows—maintained schools sector: 1991-92,1997-98 to 2004-05; qualified teacher entrants and wastage by type and destination( 1)  England 
			   1991-92  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04( 2)  2004-05( 2) 
			  Full-time:  
			  Entrants to full-time teaching in the maintained schools sector  
			 Newly qualified entrants(3) 12,710 18,010 16,820 17,630 16,780 18,330 20,790 22,250 21,950 
			 New to maintained sector(4) 4,430 5,770 5,320 5,900 7,060 7,500 6,150 5,290 5,570 
			 Returner to maintained sector(5) 7,580 5,300 5,410 5,870 7,070 8,710 7,820 6,870 8,080 
			 Total entrants 24,720 29,080 27,550 29,400 30,910 34,540 34,770 34,410 35,600 
			   
			 Joiners from part-time service(6) 5,210 4,910 4,630 4,790 5,440 4,950 5,030 4,060 4,700 
			   
			  Movement from full-time teaching in the maintained schools sector  
			 Out of service(7) 15,870 15,660 18,560 19,150 21,080 21,050 23,950 21,830 18,890 
			 Retired 10,680 13,810 5,700 6,080 6,650 6,540 6,610 7,230 7,770 
			 Total wastage 26,540 29,470 24,260 25,230 27,730 27,590 30,560 29,060 26,670 
			   
			 Leavers to part-time service(8) 4,960 6,910 6,780 7,440 8,190 9,710 9,900 10,570 11,660 
			   
			  Part-time:  
			  Entrants to part-time teaching in the maintained schools sector  
			 Newly qualified entrants(3) 350 890 840 810 600 570 760 990 1,000 
			 New to maintained sector(4) 2,190 2,750 2,910 3,170 3,720 3,680 3,770 4,110 4,110 
			 Returner to maintained sector(5) 7,520 5,190 5,110 4,850 5,520 5,550 4,910 4,760 5,310 
			 Total entrants 10,060 8,820 8,860 8,830 9,840 9,800 9,440 9,860 10,420 
			   
			 Joiners from full-time service(8) 4,960 6,910 6,780 7,440 8,190 9,710 9,900 10,570 11,660 
			   
			  Movement from part-time teaching in the maintained schools sector  
			 Out of service(7) 7,530 6,820 7,590 7,650 7,620 7,730 10,350 9,350 7,760 
			 Retired 1,290 2,750 2,360 2,510 2,610 2,240 2,380 2,580 2,850 
			 Total wastage 8,820 9,580 9,950 10,160 10,230 9,970 12,730 11,930 10,610 
			   
			 Leavers to full-time service(6) 5,210 4,910 4,630 4,790 5,440 4,950 5,030 406-0 4,700 
			  
			 (1) 10 to 20 per cent. of part-time teachers may not be included in the data. (2) Provisional estimates. (3) Teacher qualified in the previous calendar year. (4) Teacher has no known service in the English maintained schools sector, and qualified before the previous calendar year. (5) Teacher was not in service last year, but has some previous service in the English maintained schools sector. (6) Full-time joiners from part-time service are equivalent to leavers from part-time to full-time service. They are not included in total entrants or total wastage. (7) Teacher is no longer in service in the English maintained schools sector and is not receiving a pension. May be teaching in FE/HE sectors or Wales. (8) Part-time joiners from full-time service are equivalent to leavers from full-time to part-time service. They are not included in total entrants or total wastage.  Source: Database of Teacher Records.

Teaching Assistants: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teaching assistants there were in schools in each local authority in Lancashire in each year from 1997 to 2006.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the number of full-time equivalent teaching assistants employed in maintained schools in the local authorities that make up the pre-1998 Lancashire local authority area for January of each year from 1997 to 2006.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent teaching assistants in former Lancashire, Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool local authority maintained schools: January of each year 
			   Former Lancashire  Lancashire  Blackburn with Darwen  Blackpool 
			 1997 1,780 — — — 
			 1998 2,000 — — — 
			 1999 — 1,670 300 190 
			 2000 — 1,830 350 220 
			 2001 — 2,190 430 290 
			 2002 — 1,960 360 190 
			 2003 — 3,130 530 390 
			 2004 — 3,300 580 430 
			 2005 — 3,570 610 480 
			 2006 — 3,890 650 480 
			  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  Annual School Census (ASC)

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Claimants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received  (a) incapacity benefit,  (b) disability living allowance,  (c) attendance allowance,  (d) bereavement benefits,  (e) carer's allowance,  (f) maternity allowance and  (g) severe disablement allowance in each of the last five years; how much was paid in each case in each year; and how much was spent on the administration of each in each year, broken down by (i) employee costs, (ii) IS/IT costs and (iii) other costs.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of claimants in receipt of the listed benefits at the dates shown 
			   May 2002  May 2003  May 2004  May 2005  May 2006 
			 Incapacity Benefit (IB) 2,471,140 2,494,890 2,508,770 2,490,850 2,449,990 
			 Disability Living Allowance (DLA) 2,443,810 2,566,820 2,662,830 2,750,970 2,820,860 
			 Attendance Allowance (AA) 1 ,504,440 1,527,990 1,570,340 1,605,710 1,646,890 
			 Bereavement benefits (BB) 41,490 47,680 51,180 55,240 57,660 
			 Carer's Allowance (CA) 516,080 589,330 680,470 733,750 785,270 
			 Maternity Allowance (MA) 15,700 14,860 26,900 27,500 29,900 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA) 336,480 320,760 305,940 292,870 280,010 
			  Notes:  1. IB, SDA,DLA, AA and BB Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  2. MA figures are rounded to the nearest 100.  3. AA, CA and DLA figures show all entitled cases—not just those in payment.  4. The sharp rise in MA figures from 2003 to 2004 is due to the change in MA rules. From April 2003 Maternity Allowance could be claimed for 26 weeks rather than the 18 weeks previously allowed.  5. 'Claimant' figures include all IB (including IB credits only cases).   Source:  For IB, SDA,DLA,AA and BB - DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data. For MA - DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples. 
		
	
	
		
			  Benefit expenditure on the listed benefits in Great Britain (real terms, 2006-07 prices) 
			  £ million 
			  2001-02 Outturn 2002-03 Outturn 2003-04 Outturn 2004-05 Outturn 2005-06 Estimated Outturn 
			 Attendance Allowance 3,536 3,566 3,695 3,845 4,012 
			 Disability Living Allowance 7,447 7,735 8,104 8,453 8,810 
			 Carer's Allowance 1,055 1,089 1,126 1,153 1,172 
			 Bereavement Benefit 1,244 1,193 1,076 965 905 
			 Incapacity Benefit 7,638 7,412 7,187 6,967 6,810 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance 1,177 1,050 1,000 960 919 
			 Maternity Allowance 63 75 136 156 168 
			  Source:  DWP benefit expenditure tables. 
		
	
	.
	The Department accounts for its administrative expenditure by strategic objective as set out in its public service agreements (PSA) and by individual requests for resources (RfRs) as set out in the departmental estimates and accounts, and not by benefit. Information on administrative expenditure by strategic objective is available in the annually published Departmental Report, copies of which are available in the Library.

Benefits: Parental Shared Residence

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision there is for splitting child benefits and allowances between parents awarded shared residence; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The rules that determine when a personal allowance and any appropriate premiums for a child can be awarded are broadly linked to child benefit rules. As current provision does not allow child benefit to be divided between two individuals, there is therefore no provision in DWP benefits for payments for a child to be split between parents in cases where shared residence has been awarded.

Benefits: Disabled People

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people are in receipt of  (a) incapacity benefit,  (b) income support,  (c) housing benefit and  (d) carer's allowance.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 18 January 2007
	Claimants are not required to state whether they are disabled in order to claim or receive these benefits. Therefore, the information is not available.

Care Leavers

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people who have left care under the age of 21 years are in receipt of  (a) income support and  (b) housing benefit.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Income-related Benefits

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will include in his Department's 2005-06 publication of Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-Up data broken down by  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural categories; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: We are not intending to include estimates of take-up by rural and non-rural categories in the next publication of Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up.

Jobseeker's Allowance and Incapacity Benefit

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people who made a new claim for jobseeker's allowance in the most recent year for which figures are available were in work  (a) six months and  (b) one year later; and how many there were (i) in total, (ii) aged 25 to 49 and (iii) aged over 50 years.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the table and represents the minimum numbers and proportions of people who satisfy the given criteria.
	
		
			  New claims for jobseeker's allowance, April 2004 to March 2005 
			   Proportion (Percentage)  Total  Aged 25-49  Aged 50 and over 
			 In work six months later 39 672,650 331,960 99,150 
			 In work one year later 43 740,130 366,520 107,540 
			  Notes:  1. Data on employment are available to the 26 of November 2006. As such, the latest operational year of new claimants for which (a) and (c) are answerable is April 2004 to March 2005, and the latest operational year of claims reaching their first anniversary for which (b) and (d) are answerable is April 2003 to March 2004 (and thus relates to people making a new claim during April 2002 and March 2003).  2. The figures quoted in this response come from data in the National Benefits Database and the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS).  3. Figures in this response are based upon periods of employment measured from the WPLS, which is based on data from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The figures given can be taken as a minimum only for the following (not necessarily comprehensive) reasons: (i) Some records show that a person started or ended employment at some point in the year, but the exact date on when they started or left their job is unknown, and therefore we do not know if they were employed at the points in time specified in this query. (ii) If a person's earnings are sufficiently low that they fall below the lower income tax threshold and so are not required to pay PAYE income tax on their earnings then there is no requirement to inform HMRC of their employment (although some employers declare these jobs anyway). (iii) These data do not include the self-employed. (iv) Poor quality personal data may lead to missed matches with benefits data. (v) No "HMRC sensitive and secure" information is supplied by HMRC (for example, HMRC employees, members of the security services).

Jobseeker's Allowance and Incapacity Benefit

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people who left  (a) jobseeker's allowance and  (b) incapacity benefit in the most recent year for which figures are available made a subsequent claim for the benefit within a year (i) in total, (ii) aged 16 to 24, (iii) aged 25 to 49 and (iv) aged 50 years to state pension age.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Percentage of people who left jobseeker's allowance between 1 June 2004 and 31 May 2005, and re-claimed jobseeker's allowance within a year 
			  Age at start of re-claim  Percentage 
			 All 47.1 
			 16 to 24 53.4 
			 25 to 49 45.3 
			 50 to state pension age 37.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of people who left incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance between 1 June 2004 and 31 May 2005, and re-claimed incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance within a Year 
			  Age at start of re-claim  Percentage 
			 All 18.0 
			 16 to 24 22.4 
			 25 to 49 22.6 
			 50 to state pension age 11.4 
			  Notes:  1. Percentages are shown to one decimal place  2. Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample and 5 per cent. termination dataset.

Jobseeker's Allowance and Incapacity Benefit

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people who left jobseeker's allowance in the most recent year for which figures are available claimed incapacity benefit within a year  (a) in total,  (b) aged 16 to 24,  (c) aged 25 to 49 and  (d) aged 50 years to state pension age.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of people who left jobseeker's allowance between 1 June 2004 and 31 May 2005, and claimed incapacity benefit/severe disablement within a year 
			  Age  Percentage 
			 All 12.5 
			 16 to 24 10.1 
			 25 to 49 13.4 
			 50 to state pension age 15.6 
			  Notes:  1. Percentages are shown to one decimal place  2. Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample and 5 per cent. terminations dataset.

Jobseeker's Allowance and Incapacity Benefit

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people who left incapacity benefit in the most recent year for which figures are available claimed jobseeker's allowance within a year  (a) in total,  (b) aged 16 to 24,  (c) aged 25 to 49 and  (d) aged 50 years to state pension age.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage of people who left incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance between 1 June 2004 and 31 May 2005, and claimed jobseeker's allowance within a year 
			  Age at start of jobseeker's allowance claim  Percentage 
			 All 23.5 
			 16 to 24 41.3 
			 25 to 49 30.0 
			 50 to state pension age 10.6 
			  Notes:  1. Percentages are shown to one decimal place  2. Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample and 5 per cent. terminations dataset.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the expenditure on incapacity benefit was in each  (a) region and  (b) country of the UK in the last period for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  2005-06 Expenditure (cash terms) 
			  £ million 
			   Provisional outturn 
			 Great Britain 6,644 
			 England 5,206 
			 North East 478 
			 North West 1,098 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 627 
			 East Midlands 475 
			 West Midlands 631 
			 East of England 420 
			 London 512 
			 South East 527 
			 South West 438 
			 Wales 599 
			 Scotland 802 
			 Outside Great Britain 38 
			  Notes:  1. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  2. All figures have been rounded to the nearest million pounds.  3. Great Britain expenditure is consistent with the Department for Work and Pensions' accounts for 2005-06 and has been apportioned between regions and countries using information in the 2006 Country and Regional Analysis exercise.  4. Expenditure outside Great Britain relates to benefit entitlement resulting from residence in Great Britain, but benefit is actually in payment to people living abroad.  5. As the Department is only responsible for Great Britain, Northern Ireland benefit expenditure has not been included and is dealt with by the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland.  6. Expenditure information is published on the Department's website at the following address: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp  7. The expenditure shown in the table is not consistent with information currently published on the Department's website. That information relates to the position at Budget 2006 and it will be updated following the 2006 pre Budget report.   Source: Department for Work and Pensions accounts for 2005-06 and administrative data.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) males and  (b) females aged (i) 18 to 29, (ii) 30 to 39, (iii) 40 to 49 and (iv) 50 to 59 years claimed incapacity benefit; and how many males aged 60 to 65 years claimed incapacity benefit in each borough of London in each of the last seven years.

Anne McGuire: The information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each London borough suffering from obesity claimed incapacity benefit in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what proportion of the total expenditure on incapacity benefit in each borough was accounted for by people suffering from obesity in each year; and how much was spent on disability pensions for people suffering from obesity in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: Information is available only on those claiming incapacity benefits whose primary diagnosis is obesity. The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of incapacity benefit (IB)/severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants in London, whose primary diagnosis is recorded as obesity, at the end of the quarter shown 
			   Quarter ending 
			  London local authority  May 2002  May 2003  May 2004  May 2005  May 2006 
			 Barking and Dagenham 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Barnet 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Bexley 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Brent 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Bromley 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Camden 10 10 20 10 10 
			 Croydon 10 10 10 20 20 
			 Baling 20 20 10 10 10 
			 Enfield 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Greenwich 0 10 0 0 0 
			 Hackney 20 30 30 30 30 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Haringey 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Harrow 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Havering 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Hounslow 10 10 10 10 20 
			 Islington 20 20 10 10 10 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 0 10 0 10 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lambeth 10 20 20 20 20 
			 Lewisham 0 0 10 10 10 
			 Merton 0 10 0 0 0 
			 Newham 30 20 20 20 20 
			 Redbridge 0 10 10 10 10 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 10 0 10 0 
			 Southwark 20 20 20 10 20 
			 Sutton 0 0 0 10 0 
			 Tower Hamlets 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Waltham Forest 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Wandsworth 10 10 10 10 10 
			  Notes: 1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Local authorities and Government office regions are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. 4. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation.  Source: Information Directorate five per cent sample and 100 per cent. WPLS 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of London IB/SDA spending on those recipients whose primary diagnosis is obesity 
			  May 2002  May 2003  May 2004  May 2005  May 2006 
			 0.08 0.08 0.08 0.09 0.10 
			  Notes: These figures were calculated using average weekly amounts and caseloads for London region.

Pension Credit

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of pension credit in Eastbourne constituency in each year since 2003; and how much was claimed in total in pension credit in each year.

James Purnell: The answer is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Household recipients of pension credit and pension credit expenditure in Eastbourne constituency, 2003 to 2006 
			   Household recipients  Annual pension credit expenditure (£ million) 
			 November 2003 3,890 9.1 
			 May 2004 4,700 10.4 
			 May 2005 5,150 11.4 
			 May 2006 5,320 12.4 
			  Notes:  1. Expenditure figures are consistent with the pre-Budget report 2006 and are rounded to the nearest million.  2. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10.  3. Annual expenditure figures are based on the household recipient figures for November 2003, May 2004, May 2005 and May 2006. Estimates refer to financial years. For example 2006 refers to 2006-07.  4. Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003 and replaced minimum income guarantee (income support for people aged 60 or over).  5. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.  Source:  DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data, DWP Accounts and Forecasts for 2006-07

Pension Credit

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in  (a) Morecambe and Lunesdale and  (b) Lancashire receive pension credit.

James Purnell: The answer is set out in the following table.
	Household recipients of pension credit for Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency and the county of Lancashire—May 2006
	
		
			   Pension credit household recipients (000) 
			 Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency 5.16 
			 County of Lancashire 55.16 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. 3. Parliamentary constituencies and county areas are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. Constituencies are therefore based on the 2005 parliamentary boundaries.  Source:  DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data

Pensions

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the movement in bulk annuity rates for pension schemes buying out their liabilities on wind-up in each year since 1999.

Edward Balls: I have been asked to reply.
	Bulk annuity rates are driven by a range of variables, including interest rates, stock market performance and demand from pension schemes winding-up.
	The Treasury continues to work closely with the Financial Services Authority, the Department for Work and Pensions and other stakeholders to maintain an up-to-date understanding of the bulk annuities market.

Pensions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the evidential basis was for the estimate in paragraph 39 of the executive summary of his Department's Personal Accounts White Paper that 60 per cent. of private pensions savings going into the new personal accounts would be new savings.

James Purnell: The estimate that approximately 60 per cent. of money saved in personal accounts will be new saving is based on the results of a literature survey carried out for the Department for Work and Pensions(1).
	The 60 per cent. is the middle point of a range of 50-70 per cent. that was put forward in the report as a plausible assumption for the average level of new savings in NPSS or similar personal account schemes.
	It is this range that is used in the White Paper and the accompanying Regulatory Impact Assessment, which note that personal accounts would generate pension savings of £7-8 billion per year, of which approximately £4-5 billion are expected to be additional(2).
	(1) John Hawksworth, PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2006, "Review of research relevant to assessing the impact of the proposed National Pensions Savings Scheme on household saving", DWP Research Report No373, p.3.
	(2) See for example Regulatory Impact Assessment: Overview, p. 10.

Pensions

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the British colonies and overseas dependencies where the UK state pension payable to UK pensioners resident there is  (a) indexed and  (b) not indexed against inflation; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The British Overseas Territories where UK state pensions are indexed against inflation are Bermuda, Gibraltar and the Sovereign bases on Cyprus.
	UK state pensions are not indexed against inflation in Anguilla, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Island, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, St. Helena and Dependencies (Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) and Turk and Caicos Islands.

Poverty Statistics

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of  (a) female and  (b) male pensioners live in poverty.

James Plaskitt: Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2004/05". The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting data on low income.
	The information requested is shown in the table as follows.
	
		
			  Table 1: Female and male pensioners living in households with less than 60 per cent. contemporary median income—Great Britain 
			  2004-05—AHC  
			 Female number (million) 1.1 
			 Female proportion (%) 17 
			 Male number (million) 0.6 
			 Male Proportion (%) 16 
			  Note: Due to rounding, the figures for female and male pensioners do not sum to the 1.8 million pensioners in low income households (after housing costs) shown on page 93 of HBAI publication.  Source: Family Resources Survey AHC = After Housing Costs.

Public Opinion Research

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on commissioning public opinion research in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: My Department carried out limited annual public attitude omnibus surveys between 2001 and 2004. In 2005, in order to make the findings more robust, an increased number of new attitude statements were tested among the public prior to being included in omnibus research. In 2005 we also conducted a piece of research to monitor public awareness of the Department and its responsibilities.
	
		
			 £ 
			 2001 Public Attitudes - Wave 1 9,350 
			 2000 Public Attitudes Wave 2 9,600 
			 2003 Public Attitudes Wave 3 10,450 
			 2004 Public Attitudes Wave 4 11,100 
			 2005 Public Attitudes Wave 5 and New 1 Public Awareness 86,000 
			 2006  50,000 
			 Total costs  160,600

Winter Fuel Payment

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many late claims for winter fuel allowance were received in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005.

James Purnell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1580W.

Winter Fuel Payment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of the winter fuel payment was in each year since its introduction.

James Purnell: The information requested is in the following table .
	
		
			  Total cost of winter fuel allowance paid out in Great Britain 
			 Outturn Cash Terms £ million 
			 1997-98 191 
			 1998-99 194 
			 1999-2000 759 
			 2000-01 1,749 
			 2001-02 1,681 
			 2002-03 1,705 
			 2000-04 1,916 
			 2004-05 1,962 
			 2005-06 1,982 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest million.  2. Winter fuel payment was introduced in 1997.  3 Payments made to people aged 60 to 64 years and over 80 payment are included from 2000-01 onwards. Following a European Court of Justice Judgement in 1999, winter fuel payments were extended to people aged 60 or over regardless of whether they were receiving a social security benefit. A claims process was set up in the year 2000 to enable payments to be made to those people who could not be identified through the Department's records.   Source:  DWP Expenditure tables consistent with Pre Budget Report 2006.

Winter Fuel Payment

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the merits of increasing the annual winter fuel payment to take account of increases in energy bills.

James Purnell: The Government keep all tax and welfare policies under review and any changes are considered as part of the normal Budget and Spending Review processes. The winter fuel payment has risen from £20 in winter 1997-98 to £200 from winter 2000-01 and to £300 for those aged 80 or over from winter 2003-04. These increases have been at a significantly higher rate than inflation whereas utility prices tend to fluctuate and have fallen as well as risen in recent years.

Winter Fuel Payment

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals have received winter fuel payments in Derby city since 2005.

James Purnell: In the winter of 2005-06, 38,480 people in the two parliamentary constituencies in the city of Derby received a winter fuel payment. This comprises 20,210 people in Derby North and 18,270 people in Derby South. Figures are not yet available for this winter but we expect the numbers to be similar.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	 Source:
	Information Directorate 100 per cent. sample.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Gaelic Language Television

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make resources available to make provision for supporting new Gaelic language television.

Shaun Woodward: Government funding for the Gaelic Media Service was devolved to the Scottish Executive in 1999, but my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State committed a one-off sum of £250,000 to secure arrangements for a new Gaelic television service which we expect to be launched later this year.

Freeview

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the provision of spectrum to ensure that high definition television is available on Freeview.

Shaun Woodward: We have had preliminary discussions with Ofcom about all aspects of the Digital Dividend Review. We look forward to the developing debate leading up to and after the consultation closing date of 20 March.

National Lottery

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was allocated to the Big Lottery Fund and its predecessors from the National Lottery Distribution Fund in each of the last three years; and how much will be allocated in 2007-08.

Richard Caborn: The value of the Big's share of income to the National Lottery Distribution Fund in 2006-07 and 2007-08 will depend on variable factors, such as sales of Lottery products and returns on investments. The combined value of the New Opportunities Fund and Community Fund shares of income in the last three years was £681 million in 2003-04, £717 million in 2004-05 and £714 million in 2005-06. My Department's current projections for overall income to the NLDF, of which Big will receive a share, is that it may fall by about 8 per cent. in 2006-07 and 2.5 per cent. in 2007-08.

National Lottery

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the future of the National Lottery.

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the future of the National Lottery.

Richard Caborn: The National Lottery has transformed culture and sport in our country, raising over £19 billion for good causes and funding over 250,000 good cause projects. I am confident this success will continue. We have guaranteed to each good cause its share of non-Olympic Lottery proceeds until 2019.

Olympics 2012

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the revised budget for the 2012 Olympic Games will be published; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell) earlier this afternoon.

Olympics 2012

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she last met the Mayor of London to discuss the budget for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 22 January 2007
	The most recent discussions I have had with the Mayor of London which included references to the budget of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were on 23 January. Prior to that we had met on 13 December 2006 at the Olympic board, which I jointly chair with the Mayor, and at which budget issues were discussed. We subsequently met again on 14 December and talked about the budget as part of a general discussion on Olympics and other issues.

Olympics 2012

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings  (a) she and  (b) her Ministerial colleagues have had with potential private funders of the Olympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: The Government's aim is to maximise private investment in the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games wherever possible.
	Two bodies have been created by the Government and Key Olympic Stakeholders, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), to oversee the construction of the Olympic Park and to organise the staging of the Games, including investigating public private partnerships and raising the £2 billion in sponsorship this will require.
	LOCOG has been working closely with companies in six sectors (banking, insurance, oil and gas, automobiles, telecommunications and utilities) to explore partnerships at the tier one level. LOCOG remains on target to announce its first major sponsor by the end of the financial year.
	With regards to initiating public private partnerships and private finance initiatives, the ODA will be looking into the possibility of securing these as part of individual procurements, subject to the overarching priority to deliver the Games on time. As a result, the ODA will seek private sector investment in utilities and other assets which have long-term investment potential.
	The Games will present many more opportunities for private funders to invest in a variety of projects stimulated by the creation of the Olympic Park in East London. For example, the John Lewis Partnership has already announced plans to invest £50 million and create 800 jobs in the Stratford City retail project, adjacent to the Olympic Park. We are keen to encourage similar investments to accelerate the regeneration in this deprived part of London and in schemes throughout the country to ensure that the Games leave a lasting and sustainable legacy for the UK.

Olympics 2012

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library the memorandum of understanding with the Mayor of London relating to financial support to be provided to the 2012 London Olympics by London council tax payers.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 26 January 2007
	The memorandum of understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London on Olympic funding was published on 30 June 2003 by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in Command Paper Cm 5867 entitled Government Response to 'A London Olympic Bid for 2012' (HC 268) Report of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee Session 2002-03 and copies were placed in the Libraries of the House.

Olympics 2012

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her answer of 23 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 1621-22W, on the Olympic Games, if she will provide indicative figures of the amounts set aside to cover  (a) construction inflation,  (b) additional security costs,  (c) public sector investment in the Olympic Village and  (d) public sector investment in the broadcasting/media and press centre.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 26 January 2007
	The contribution to the Olympic Village and the broadcasting/media and press centre are subject to commercial negotiations with private developers. In view of that and to avoid speculation about the size of the public contribution I will be able to provide the information requested only when the commercial negotiations are complete.

Olympics 2012

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her decision to commission a cost review by KPMG into the London Olympics required approval by the Treasury.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 13 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1197W.

Olympics 2012

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether there were any differences between the cost estimates provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Olympics Cost Review in 2004 and the cost estimates included in London's 2012 Olympic bid; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: The PricewaterhouseCoopers Report was used to inform the cost estimates. Between the delivery of their report, in July 2004, and the submission of the Candidate File to the IOC, in October 2004, a number of cost savings were identified. The estimates included in the Candidate File reflected these savings.

Olympics 2012

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her evidence to the Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport of 21 November 2006, if she will break down into main budget headings the £400 million of expenditure she announced for an Olympic delivery partner.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 16 January 2007
	As I explained to the Select Committee in my answer to their written questions of 28 November, the c.£400 million includes not only the costs of the delivery partner but also the costs of site mobilisation and the costs of additional staff required by the ODA itself.

Olympics 2012

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her evidence to the Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport of 21 November, if she will break down into main budget headings the extra £900 million she announced.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 16 January 2007
	The new or additional elements of expenditure for the Olympic Park that make up the £900 million that I announced at the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 21 November 2006 include provision for:
	ODA delivery costs (£400 million): This reflects a detailed review of the ODA administration requirements for the programme including the estimated costs of the delivery partner. The delivery partner will provide the level and quantity of experience and skill needed to deliver the Olympic Park project and to undertake effective project and programme management and cost control. The additional costs cover this, accommodation and site mobilisation and ODA staff costs.
	Construction inflation: A 1 per cent. point per annum increase in inflation costs is required in order to reflect post-bid increases in inflation;
	Additional security costs: reflecting the need for increased investment in site security post 7 July 2005. This does not include general policing costs which fall outside the core costs of the Olympic Park;
	Olympic Village and International Broadcasting Centre/Media and Press Centre: Some public investment will be necessary to underpin the private sector investment in these facilities but these are both subject to commercial negotiation about what the level of private sector investment will be.
	These cost increases will be reflected in the ODA's budget which is due to be determined in the next few months. They do not include VAT or programme contingency, which as I told the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 21 November, are a matter for discussion in Government.

Creative Partnerships: Schools

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on Government support for creative partnerships between schools and arts organisations.

David Lammy: Creative Partnerships is a real success story. Since 2002 the Government have provided over £100 million in funding for the programme. It has reached over 300,000 young people and 1,600 schools. The evaluation of the programme, particularly the recent Ofsted report, has shown that it's having a real impact in the communities it serves.

Channel 4

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the regulatory levers available to ensure that Channel 4 fulfils its public service broadcasting obligations.

Shaun Woodward: Channel 4's public service remit is set out in the Communications Act 2003. It is also bound by the terms of its Ofcom licence. Under the 2003 Act Ofcom has the power to impose appropriate sanctions should the channel breach the terms of its licence.

BBC Trust

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the scrutiny arrangements put in place for the recruitment of the current Chairman of the BBC Governors will be followed for the recruitment of the Chairman of the BBC Trust; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: I can confirm we will hold an open competition, and that the process will follow the Nolan principles and the Commissioner's Code of Practice. After advertising in the national press, a selection panel will shortlist and interview candidates and make recommendations to Ministers. The appointment will be made by the Queen by Order in Council, on the recommendation of DCMS Ministers through the Prime Minister. We have discussed and agreed with OCPA there will be no additional exceptional scrutiny arrangements on this occasion.

British Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of food served in buildings occupied by her Department was of British origin in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

David Lammy: The legal framework governing public procurement is designed to ensure that it is fair, transparent and not used to discriminate by setting up barriers to free trade. This means that DCMS cannot restrict its purchases to specific locations or suppliers.
	However, DCMS is working in partnership with our outsourced catering provider to increase tendering opportunities for small and local food producers. As a result, the proportion of food served in our buildings that was of British origin increased from 44 per cent. in 2005 to 52 per cent. in 2006.

Casinos

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether any towns in the West Midlands have applied for super casinos; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Coventry, Dudley and Solihull submitted formal proposals to be considered for the one regional casino permitted by the Gambling Act 2005, but were not shortlisted by the Casino Advisory Panel.
	Dudley, Solihull and Wolverhampton have been shortlisted for the right to issue one of the eight large and eight small casino premises licences permitted by the Act.

Casinos

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of new casinos on other entertainment venues.

Richard Caborn: The Secretary of State established the Casino Advisory Panel to advise her on where the 17 new casinos permitted under the Gambling Act 2005 should be located.
	The criteria against which the independent Casino Advisory Panel is making its assessment were set out in the Government's national policy statement on casinos published on 16 December 2004. The primary consideration will be to ensure that locations provide the best possible test of social impact. Subject to this, the criteria will also be:
	to include areas in need of regeneration (as measured by employment and other social deprivation data) and which are likely to benefit in these terms from a new casino;
	to ensure that those areas selected are willing to license a new casino.
	We will assess what the regeneration and other economic outcomes have been, alongside our wider assessment of the social impact of the new casinos, around three years after the issue of the first casino premises licence.

Departmental Expenditure

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent in each of the Government office regions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Lammy: Chapter 7 of the annual Treasury publication "Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses" details expenditure on services in the regions and countries of the United Kingdom.
	Identifiable spending in each region of England by Government Department for 2004-05 (latest available data) is contained within table 7.19 of the 2006 edition of PESA.

Departmental Studies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 811-2W, on departmental studies, what the cost to her Department was of commissioning each report.

David Lammy: The following studies are incomplete; costs will be made public on completion:
	Measuring Elasticity of Tourism Demand;
	Casino Impacts Scoping Study;
	Sport's Contribution to Achieving Wider Social Benefits;
	Review of Evidence base for delivering SP2/PSA3;
	Assess local authority delivery against national standards;
	Creative industry promotion—an international perspective;
	International dimension of the Creative Economy;
	Exploring Creative Industry Spillovers;
	Public value research;
	Independent Technical Review on Sport and Leisure Facility Equity Indicators.
	The following studies have been completed and associated costs are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Evaluation of the 7 July Assistance Centre 15,007 
			 Literature Review and Survey of Statistical Sources on Remote Gambling 30,000 
			 Economic Impact of DCMS Cultural Investment 54,958 
			 Creative Industries Analysis 50,445 
			 BBC Charter Review Research 50,100 
			 Licensing Act 2003: The experience of smaller establishments in applying for live music authorization 92,500 
			 Assessing the readiness of social housing sector for Digital Switchover 51,425 
			 Governance of Non-Departmental Public Bodies 81,745 
			 Knowledge Economy 25,000 
			 Scoping links between the creative industry and the rest of the economy 4,000 
			 Review of the performance indicator framework for national museums and galleries 29,855 
			 Heritage Protection Review Assessment of eight pilot projects 18,417 
			 Peer Review of English Heritage 31,294 
			 Literature Review into people's needs in emergencies 15,460 
			 KPMG's advice on costs of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games 455,438 
			 Valuation of the Horserace Totalisator Board 101,299

Digital Television

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the  (a) number of people eligible for and  (b) expected costs of targeted assistance in relation to digital switchover.

Shaun Woodward: We estimate that 7.1 million UK households will qualify for assistance from the Switchover Help Scheme between 2008 and 2012. The cost of the scheme over its lifetime will be in the region of £600 million.

Digital Television

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what transmitters there are in North East Fife; and when each transmitter will be upgraded to digital.

Shaun Woodward: There are three transmitters located in the constituency: Lindores, Balmullo and Cupar, all of which are analogue-only relays. The majority of the constituency is however served by the main Craigkelly and Angus transmitters, both of which broadcast digital services already. The former transmitters will be upgraded to digital at switchover in 2010.

Film Industry

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support is available for companies investing in film production in the East Midlands region.

Shaun Woodward: The Government support film production in the East Midlands through three routes. Firstly, the UK Film Council's Regional Investment Fund for England (RIFE) which invests both grant in aid and lottery funding in EM Media, the regional screen agency for the East Midlands. Secondly, the UK Film Council's central production funds—the Premiere, New Cinema and Development Funds; and thirdly, through tax relief for film production in the UK.
	In addition to financial support for film making, the EM Media also provides guidance, support, direction and access to training and skills development for media businesses and individuals, whilst championing the region as a filming location.

Historic Buildings

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department takes to preserve buildings and monuments of historic significance in those cases where the building is the last remaining example of  (a) a particular style of architecture and  (b) work by a particular architect.

David Lammy: Historic assets are preserved by statutory designation; 'listing' or 'scheduling'. Any building or monument can be recommended for listing or scheduling by a member of the public or by English Heritage. Assets are considered for designation against a range of criteria including rarity and, in the case of buildings, architectural interest. These are set out in planning policy guidance.

Lilleshall National Sports Academy

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects a decision from Sport England on the future of Lilleshall National Sports Academy after 2009.

Richard Caborn: Sport England is continuing to hold discussions with stakeholders and other interested parties. No decision has so far been reached, and no date has been set—it is important that the chosen strategy is the most productive and sustainable one; for the site, for the area, and for sport as a whole.
	Sport England is aware of the sensitivity of the issue, and of the time scales.

Olympic Lottery Game

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of the Olympic Lottery game on the sales of other Lottery games; and what  (a) research and (b) evidence she has received.

Richard Caborn: No specific assessment has been made for or by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport of the actual impact of Olympic Lottery games on the sales of other National Lottery games. Sales performance and its analysis are matters for Camelot, the National Lottery operator and the independent regulator, the National Lottery Commission. Camelot is working to maximise sales of all Lottery products, including Olympic Lottery Games, and so minimise any impact that Olympic Lottery Games sales may have on income for the other good causes. The NLC and Camelot monitor sales closely and quarterly reports of returns to good causes, including the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund, are published on the NLC's website—www.nationallotterycommission.gov.uk. The next such report is due to be published on 31 January.

Performing Arts

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1361W, on performing arts, if she will break down the figures into grant in aid and Lottery funding.

David Lammy: The figures are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Grant in aid  Lottery  Total 
			 2001-02 168.61 79.10 247.71 
			 2002-03 191.07 60.88 251.95 
			 2003-04 216.85 107.04 323.89 
			 2004-05 235.80 173.47 409.27 
			 2005-06 251.80 80.05 331.85

Performing Arts

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1360W, on performing arts, how much was allocated to  (a) theatre,  (b) dance and  (c) opera in each year since 2001, broken down by grant in aid and lottery funding.

David Lammy: The figures are as follows:
	
		
			  (a) Theatre 
			  £ million 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Grant in Aid 58.61 71.67 86.32 92.06 96.06 
			 Lottery 15.71 7.82 30.10 100.71 26.16 
			 Total 74.32 79.49 116.42 192.76 122.22 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Dance 
			  £ million 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Grant in Aid 30.73 34.23 36.81 40.60 44.37 
			 Lottery 10.99 5.00 17.90 13.03 9.21 
			 Total 41.72 39.23 54.72 53.63 53.58 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) Opera 
			  £ million 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Grant in Aid 37.89 40.21 42.14 45.66 48.14 
			 Lottery 1.00 0.20 10.77 1.04 5.19 
			 Total 38.89 40.41 52.91 46.70 53.33

Sporting Village: Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had on Chorley borough council's application for a sporting village; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor I have held discussions in relation to a 'sports village' in Chorley.
	However, Sport England are currently assessing the potential of the 'sports villages' concept to provide a new model for sustainable sports facilities that could be used by local authorities across the country.

Swimming

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans the Government have to encourage swimming; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: £3.6 million is being provided by Sport England to the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) for the financial year 2005-06 through Whole Sport Plans. Approximately half of this funding is to boost grassroots participation in swimming. Sport England is also working with the Department of Health and the ASA to draw together best practice guidance in the provision of free swimming for key target groups, including children and older people to increase community participation.
	Swimming also has a significant role to play within the national strategy for PE, School Sport and Club Links, delivered jointly with the Department for Education and Skills. In April 2006 the top up swimming scheme was launched. It is investing £5.5 million over two years to support pupils to swim 25 metres before they finish primary school. A further £742,000 is being invested in 2006-08 with the ASA through National School Sport programmes; Club Links and Step into Sport.

Television Licence

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the total income of the BBC from the licence fee in each of the next six years.

Tessa Jowell: The settlement is for six years, with annual increases in the licence fee of 3 per cent. for the first two years and 2 per cent. in years three, four and five. There will be an increase in the sixth year of up to 2 per cent., depending on a further review nearer the time.
	Total licence fee income is estimated at £3.4 billion, £3.5 billion, £3.6 billion, £3.7 billion, £3.8 billion and up to £3.9 billion in years one to six respectively.

Theatres

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1279W, on theatres, if she will break down the figures into grant in aid and lottery funding.

David Lammy: The figures are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Grant in aid  Lottery  Total 
			 2001-02 58.61 15.71 74.32 
			 2002-03 71.67 7.82 79.49 
			 2003-04 86.32 30.10 116.42 
			 2004-05 92.06 100.71 192.76 
			 2005-06 96.06 26.16 122.22

Tourism

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the regional breakdown of spending by overseas visitors to the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The following table shows the regional breakdown of spending by overseas visitors to the UK in 2005.
	
		
			  Region  Spending (£ million) 
			 London 6,859 
			 North East 206 
			 North West 883 
			 Yorkshire 387 
			 West Midlands 533 
			 East Midlands 365 
			 East of England 709 
			 South West 868 
			 South East 1,470 
			  Total England( 1)  12,302 
			   
			 Scotland 1,208 
			 Wales 311 
			 Northern Ireland 131 
			   
			  Total UK( 1)  14,122 
			 (1 )Totals may include elements of expenditure that are not attributable to a particular region.  Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS)

Tourism

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many trips to the UK were made by tourists from overseas in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The following table shows the number of visits to the UK by overseas residents since 1997.
	
		
			   Total visits (Thousand) 
			 1997 25,515 
			 1998 25,745 
			 1999 25,394 
			 2000 25,209 
			 2001 22,835 
			 2002 24,180 
			 2003 24,715 
			 2004 27,755 
			 2005 29,970 
			  Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS)

Tourism

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to promote the UK internationally as a tourist destination; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to promote domestic tourism within the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The Department funds VisitBritain to market England to the British and Britain to the rest of the world. VisitBritain received £50 million in grant-in-aid for 2006-07 of which £13.4 million has been allocated for the purpose of domestic marketing. (VisitBritain's marketing activities include the EnglandNet project, which provides comprehensive information for both domestic and overseas visitors, with facilities for live booking of accommodation and other services.)
	The Department works closely with regional and local government, supporting and promoting both domestic and international tourism. It currently contributes £3.6 million a year to the regional development agencies to support tourism in the regions, and £1.9 million a year to the Greater London Authority to support the Mayor's statutory tourism duties.

Tourism

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of likely trends in levels of inbound tourism over the next three years.

Shaun Woodward: Visit Britain publishes forecasts for the volume and value of inbound tourism for the year ahead. These forecasts are approved by DCMS.
	Forecasts released in November 2006 estimated that the volume and value of inbound tourism will grow by around 4 per cent. during 2007, with 32.5 million visitors expected to spend £15.8 billion. This is an aggregate forecast regardless of purpose of visit.
	Full detail of the Visit Britain forecasts can be found at:
	http://www.tourismtrade.org.uk/MarketIntelligenceResearch/TrendsForecasts.asp
	I am arranging for details of VisitBritain Inbound Forecasts for 2007 to be placed in the House Libraries.
	Due to the large number of factors that can influence the volume and value of inbound tourism over the longer term, no specific UK forecasts have yet been calculated for 2008 and 2009. However, we could expect to see growth of 3 per cent. per annum in line with the UN World Tourism Organisation forecasts for the whole of Europe.

Union Flag

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2007 , Official Report, column 1043W, on the Union flag, if she will make arrangements to fly the Union flag on Government buildings every day of the year.

David Lammy: There are no current plans to change the flag flying arrangements on Government buildings.

West Jesmond School

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1361W, on West Jesmond School, whether she has received representations from English Heritage on the spot-listing of West Jesmond School; and what decision she has reached.

David Lammy: holding answer 26 January 2007
	Advice on West Jesmond school was received from English Heritage on 22 January 2007. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will now consider this advice and we will inform the hon. Member as soon as a decision is reached.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

BAE Systems

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact on the investment climate and business confidence in the UK of the decision to halt Serious Fraud Office investigations into alleged bribery by BAE Systems.

Margaret Hodge: The recent announcement by the Attorney-General indicated that no weight had been given to commercial or national economic interests in the SFO decision to halt the investigation into BAE Systems and the Al Yamamah contract.
	The Government remain extremely serious about tackling corruption. This decision sets no precedent of any kind and was made on legitimate public interest grounds.
	DFID has funded a new International Corruption Group. This will provide the UK with a dedicated resource to investigate allegations of corruption and bribery by a UK citizen or company anywhere in the world. It will bring together the experience of the Serious Fraud Office and Serious Organised Crime Agency with the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police.
	The Serious Fraud Office is currently investigating a number of other cases (including some relating to BAE Systems) where there are allegations of bribery or corruption abroad, as well as fraud. The Attorney-General has made clear to the director that he should pursue these cases vigorously and that no particular company is beyond the law or immune from action in this area.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the oral statement made by my hon. Friend the Solicitor-General on 14 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 1119-29:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cmhansrd/cm061214/debtext/61214-0021htm#column_1119

BBC

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the North West Development Agency has spent in connection with the BBC's proposed move to Manchester and Salford since the BBC first announced its intention to move.

Margaret Hodge: To date, the North West Development Agency has spent approximately £488,000 on:
	strategic economic analysis and making the business case;
	facilitating the site selection process in conjunction with the BBC and local partners;
	undertaking a detailed economic appraisal of the basis of the agency's investment to facilitate the mediacity.uk project;
	coordinating the activities of the key stakeholders;
	ensuring an appropriate contractual framework is in place for delivery of the mediacity.uk project;
	contribution to the costs of a sector skills development manager to develop the opportunities resulting from the project.

Business Links

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the  (a) budget and  (b) expenditure was of Business Links on business advice and support in each financial year since 2000-01.

Margaret Hodge: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have funded the Business Link service since 2000. The budget allocations for this have been as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2000-01 138 
			 2001-02 141 
			 2002-03 147 
			 2003-04 139 
			 2004-05 140 
			 2005-06 140 
			 2006-07 140 
			  Source: The Small Business Service Agency Annual Accounts and Reports. 
		
	
	Since April 2005, contracts for the delivery of Business Link services have been managed by the RDAs and provided by contracted organisations including chambers of commerce, private sector businesses and other non-departmental public sector bodies.
	The aforementioned budgets represent only a portion of the total available to the service contractors. The total budget and expenditure by individual organisations can only be determined by the organisations themselves and I would encourage the hon. Member to approach them directly with this question.
	It is worth noting that the budgets from the DTI are made available to the RDAs through their 'single pot' of money and are distributed in accordance with their regional economic strategies.

Departmental Expenditure

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much programme expenditure sponsored by his Department was spent via each of the Government offices for the regions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: The main programme expenditure sponsored by the DTI and spent via the Government offices is through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which is European Union money that is used to add value to projects supported under DTI programmes. In 2004-05, DTI spending on ERDF projects in each of the Government offices was:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 North East 35.8 
			 North West 51.8 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 99.5 
			 East Midlands 10.5 
			 West Midlands 48.5 
			 East of England 9.4 
			 London 5.3 
			 South East 7.6 
			 South West 10.0 
		
	
	In 2004-05, £100,000 was also disbursed to each of the English regions, mainly via Government offices, to support the development and delivery of strategic approaches to energy.

Departmental Hospitality

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his Department's expenditure was on hospitality and entertainment in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) 2005-06.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Details of expenditure on hospitality and entertainment in 1996-97 for this Department could be made available only at disproportionate cost. However a global figure for Government expenditure by Ministers for official purposes can be found in my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Rotherham on 9 February 1998,  Official Report, column 17W.
	 (b) For 2005-06 the total expenditure on hospitality and entertainment of this Department was £1,769k.

East Midlands Development Agency

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the chief executive or senior directors of the East Midlands Development Agency last received a request for an official meeting with Leicester city council.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Jeff Moore, chief executive of the East Midlands Development Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

Foreign Trade Fairs

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the  (a) date and  (b) duration was of each foreign trade fair trip attended by representatives of each Regional Development Agency (RDA) in each year since their inception; how many attendees employed by each RDA attended; and what the cost was of each visit.

Margaret Hodge: This information is not held centrally and therefore can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to assist hydrogen fuel cell technology research and development; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Hydrogen is an 'energy carrier' rather than a fuel source as, like electricity, it can only be produced using energy.
	Hydrogen can be used in:
	a fuel cell, where it produces zero emissions at the point of use
	normal combustion, (e.g. in an internal combustion engine)
	In 2004, the Department of Trade and Industry, commissioned analysis from the energy consultants E4Tech, Element Energy, and Eoin Lees. This analysis indicates that for the UK, the use of hydrogen as a transport fuel offers significant opportunities for cost-competitive CO2 reduction by 2030. Six different types of transport energy chain have this potential and also offer increased energy security. None is readily available today and each would require significant changes to the energy system. However, they are sufficiently promising to be worth pursuing as energy options for the UK. This analysis was published on the Department's website and can be found at:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sources/sustainable/hydrogen/page26734.html.
	On 15 June 2005, the Government responded to this analysis and published a "A Strategic Framework for Hydrogen Energy Activity in the UK" which included a funding package worth £15 million over four years for a UK wide hydrogen and fuel cell demonstration programme. The first call for proposals for the demonstration scheme has now closed and I anticipate that a second call for proposals will operate in 12-18 months time. Further information is available on the scheme's website:
	http://www.hfccat-demo.org/
	Currently, the Department of Trade and Industry supports industrial collaborative research and development for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies through the Technology programme. Bids specifically for hydrogen technologies have been invited since April 2005. The programme seeks to advance these technologies for both stationary power generation and transport applications, with a view to achieving the cost reductions and performance levels necessary for commercial deployment. This support currently amounts to approximately £2-3 million per annum.
	The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), including through the SUPERGEN initiative, support basic research in universities on both fuel cells and hydrogen. SUPERGEN supports the UK Sustainable Hydrogen Energy Consortium (UK SHEC) which has received funding of £2.5 million. This programme is supporting projects on: hydrogen generation; hydrogen storage; and socio-economic implications for a hydrogen economy.
	EPSRC also supports the separate Fuel Cell SUPERGEN consortia. This is a four-year programme which began on 1 September 2005. This consortium is supported with funding of £2.085 million.
	In addition to SUPERGEN, EPSRC has awarded £1 million to investigate the potential role of formic acid as a chemical method for the storage of hydrogen. £500,000 has been granted to three projects on fundamental science and engineering relevant to hydrogen technologies. EPSRC also contributes to projects through the DTI's Technology programme.
	The Government have also provided funding of over £450,000 for the trial of three hydrogen-powered fuel cell buses in London as part of the EU CUTE (Clean Urban Transport in Europe) project. £6.5 million of funding has been provided for the fuel cell and low carbon vehicle technology centre of excellence (CENEX) based in Loughborough.

Insolvency

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people claimed individual insolvency in each year  (a) from 1994 until the coming into force of the Insolvency Act 2000 and  (b) since the implementation of that Act.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Individual insolvencies are made up of bankruptcy orders and individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). The various provisions of the Insolvency Act 2000 came into force on two separate dates, namely 1 April 2001 and 1 January 2003. The annual numbers of individual insolvencies in England and Wales can be seen in the following table.
	
		
			   Bankruptcy orders  IVAs  Total 
			 1994 25,634 5,105 30,739 
			 1995 21,933 4,386 26,319 
			 1996 21,803 4,468 26,271 
			 1997 19,892 4,549 24,441 
			 1998 19,647 4,902 24,549 
			 1999 21,611 7,195 28,806 
			 2000 21,550 7,978 29,528 
			 2001 23,477 6,298 29,775 
			 2002 24,292 6,295 30,587 
			 2003 28,021 7,583 35,604 
			 2004 35,898 10,752 46,650 
			 2005 47,291 20,293 67,584

Ofcom

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many investigations Ofcom completed into the unlicensed use of radio spectrum in the UK in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004,  (c) 2005 and  (d) 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many infringements of spectrum use Ofcom policing of spectrum recorded in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004,  (c) 2005 and  (d) 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how much was spent on Ofcom's policing of spectrum against unlicensed use in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004,  (c) 2005 and  (d) 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many prosecutions of unlicensed spectrum use Ofcom brought in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004,  (c) 2005 and  (d) 2006; how many of those were successful; what penalties were imposed on offenders; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Regional Development Initiatives

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of spending by each regional development agency in England in 2005-06 was on  (a) region-wide initiatives and  (b) initiatives targeted at specific areas within the region.

Margaret Hodge: The regional development agencies include information about their spend on various initiatives in their annual reports, but do not record the proportion of their spend in terms of initiatives which are region-wide or those specifically targeted within the region.

Regional Venture Funds

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the  (a) budget and  (b) expenditure was of regional venture funds in each regional development agency in each of the financial years since 2000-01.

Margaret Hodge: The Regional Development Agencies have a number of programmes aimed at improving the provision of venture capital to promote economic development within their regions. The following tables show the total budget and actual expenditure, for regional venture funds only, for each of the Regional Development Agencies funded from within their core funding from 2000-01 to the current financial year.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04 
			  RDA  Budget  Actual spend  Budget  Actual spend  Budget  Actual spend  Budget  Actual spend 
			 Advantage West Midlands 0 0 0.2 0.2 2 2 4 4 
			 East of England Development Agency 0 0 0 0 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.1 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 
			 London Development Agency 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North West Development Agency 0 0 0.3 0.3 1 1 3 3 
			 One North East 0.5 0.5 0 0 0 0 9 9 
			 South East England Development Agency 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South West Development Agency 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Yorkshire Forward 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  RDA  Budget  Actual spend  Budget  Actual spend  Budget  Actual spend to date 
			 Advantage West Midlands 0 0.1 10 10 8 7 
			 East of England Development Agency 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.3 0 0 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 London Development Agency 0 0 2 2 5 3 
			 North West Development Agency 4 4 3 3 2 1 
			 One North East 0 0 0 0 8 1 
			 South East England Development Agency 0.2 0.2 0.9 0.9 1 0.5 
			 South West Development Agency 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Yorkshire Forward 0 0 1 1 0.5 0.3 
		
	
	In addition, the DTI has also established funds in each of the regions under the Regional Venture Capital Fund programme. These funds address the equity gap, a national market failure in the provision of venture capital, through measures which include local management of investment.

Trade Union Strikes

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many working days were lost to trade union strikes in each of the last nine years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: It is not known how many working days have been lost due to trade union strikes in each of the last nine years. However, the following table gives the number of working days lost due to all labour disputes from 1997 to 2005. Labour disputes include official and unofficial strikes and cases of 'lock-outs', that is, where an employer prevents their employees from working by refusing entry to the place of work.
	
		
			   Working days lost (Thousand) 
			 1997 235 
			 1998 282 
			 1999 242 
			 2000 499 
			 2001 525 
			 2002 1323 
			 2003 499 
			 2004 905 
			 2005 157 
			  Source: Office for National Statistics, Labour Disputes Inquiry

Trade Union Strikes

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many working days were lost to trade union strikes in each of the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: It is not known how many working days have been lost due to trade union strikes in each of the last 12 months. However, the following table gives the number of working days lost due to all labour disputes in each of the last 12 months. Labour disputes include official and unofficial strikes and cases of 'lock-outs', that is, where an employer prevents their employees from working by refusing entry to the place of work.
	
		
			   Working days lost (Thousand) 
			  2005  
			 December 15 
			   
			  2006  
			 January (1)77 
			 February (1)14 
			 March (1)482 
			 April (1)3 
			 May (1)83 
			 June (1)6 
			 July (1)11 
			 August (1)6 
			 September (1)23 
			 October (1)13 
			 November (1)24 
			   
			 Cumulative total 12 months to November 2006(2) (1)756 
			 (1) Provisional. (2) The latest 12-month cumulative total will not necessarily equal the sum of the 12 months as some disputes continue for over one month. These disputes appear in each month's data, but only once in the total.  Source: Office for National Statistics, Labour Disputes Inquiry.

Trading Relations

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to encourage business and trade links between the east Midlands and India.

Margaret Hodge: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is the Government organisation that supports companies in the UK doing business internationally and overseas enterprises seeking to locate in the UK. India is recognised in the UKTI corporate strategy as a high growth market offering both promising business opportunities and significant challenges to UK companies.
	At the regional level, UKTI and the East Midlands Development Agency are working with private and public sector partners to develop a strategy aimed at matching capacity and capability in the east Midlands with opportunities in the Indian market. UKTI ensure individual clients have the support they need to assess opportunities in this market. As well as advice and guidance from international trade advisers, there is also the opportunity to access market information and themed events run by East Midlands International Trade Association project. Also, groups of companies are taken from the region to India to explore business opportunities first hand. UKTI's trade portal also contains a great deal of relevant information.
	UKTI's inward investment activity is delivered through the regional development agencies. India is recognised within the East Midlands Development Agency's foreign direct investment strategy as a key market. In line with the regional economic strategy, Emda will target inward investment opportunities within the transport technologies and transport equipment sectors. Emda, in collaboration with Advantage West Midlands, currently employs one full-time representative in Mumbai.
	The Leicestershire-India Trade Bureau (LITB) is a project established with devolved Emda funding to promote trade and business cooperation between Leicestershire and India with specific emphasis on the state of Gujarat.
	The bureau provides an information service that can identify suitable business opportunities and act as a business 'marriage' broker. It also raises awareness amongst Leicestershire companies of the potential of Gujarat and India as an export market. UKTI and Emda are considering the establishment of an East Midlands India Bureau with a wider and more regional remit next year.

UK Civil Plutonium and Uranium

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his written statement of 10 January 2007,  Official Report, column 15WS, on UK civil plutonium and uranium figures, what procedures he has instituted to ensure the type of error discovered is not repeated in future.

Malcolm Wicks: Quality checking procedures are currently being enhanced by the operator concerned to include a peer check and independent verification prior to publication of the annual statement. The aim of these enhanced measures is to verify that material is assigned to the appropriate category and to confirm any significant changes to the figures from the previous year. The enhanced measures will be in place by early February 2007.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Rights Extremists

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is his policy to treat attacks on property by animal extremists as terrorist attacks under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 25 January 2007
	No animal rights extremist has been charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 or the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005. However, should the activities of animal rights extremists, or any other individual or group, meet the required threshold of terrorism contained within the Acts, it is entirely possible that those Acts could be used. It is the remit of the police and Crown Prosecution Service to select the most appropriate charge in individual cases. To date, offences under other legislation including the relatively new economic damage offences in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 have been more appropriate for bringing charges, and there have been a number of convictions of leading animal rights extremists.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders and Individual Support Orders

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued against people aged  (a) under 18,  (b) between 18 and 24 and  (c) over 25 years in the City of Leicester.

Tony McNulty: Since 1 June 2000, from copies of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) received, we are able to determine the local government authority (lga) area in which prohibitions have been imposed within orders.
	The number of ASBOs issued where prohibitions have been imposed in the Leicester city council lga area, from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2005 (latest available), for persons aged 10 to 17 is 27. For persons aged between 18 and 24 the total number issued is 15 and for persons aged 25 years and over the number is 27. A further two orders have been issued to persons for whom age details have not been reported.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders and Individual Support Orders

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of antisocial behaviour orders issued since April 2006 have had an intervention order attached to them;
	(2)  how many individual support orders were issued in each year since May 2004;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of anti-social behaviour orders issued since May 2004 have had an individual support order attached to them;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the take-up of individual support orders  (a) prior to and  (b) since June 2005.

Tony McNulty: Data on the number of antisocial behaviour orders issued at all courts are currently available up to 31 December 2005. The power to make intervention orders came into effect on 1 October 2006. A new national system for collecting data on ASBOs is scheduled for implementation from 1 April, and will incorporate new reporting requirements, e.g. intervention orders.
	Individual support orders (ISOs) can be issued to persons aged 10-17 in addition to an antisocial behaviour order at civil proceedings at the magistrates court. The number of ISOs issued in 2004 (from 1 May), as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, is seven. This is 2 per cent. of the number of ASBOs issued to 10-17 year olds at civil proceedings at the magistrates court during the same period. The equivalent figures for 2005 are 42 and 7 per cent. respectively.
	Concerted action is under way by the Home Office, the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Youth Justice Board and practitioners to increase the take up of ISOs. Following meetings with practitioners around the country at the beginning of 2006 an action plan was devised. This included reinforcing information on ISOs on key practitioner websites such as the Together Actionline and the Youth Justice Board's, promoting ISOs at a series of practitioner events and conferences, including the Respect Academies that took place throughout last summer, success stories researched and published on the Together website and an article on ISOs published in the March 2006 edition of  The Magistrate to reach all magistrates nationally. Longer term funding for the use of ISOs from 2006 was included in the £45 million prevention fund to youth offending teams.
	We are about to embark on a three-month survey of the 60 Respect action areas, the outcome of which is intended to provide information about the use of ISOs and other interventions that young people may be receiving to help them address their antisocial behaviour.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders and Individual Support Orders

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been  (a) enforced and  (b) breached in the (i) Eyres Monsell and (ii) Freemen ward of Leicester.

Tony McNulty: Information about enforcement related to antisocial behaviour orders is not collected centrally. ASBO breach data held centrally are available only at Criminal Justice System (CJS) Area level.

Asylum Seekers

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who have exhausted all appeals were registered with local authorities' support teams on 30 November 2006.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of asylum seekers who have exhausted all appeals and registered with local authorities support teams is not collected by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Asylum Seekers

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who have exhausted all avenues of appeal there are in each local authority in England and Wales.

Liam Byrne: Information on the numbers of asylum seekers who have exhausted all avenues of appeal in particular areas of the UK is unavailable.

Asylum Seekers

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the criteria are for granting Iraqi nationals arriving in the UK refugee status; and what percentage of those applying were successful in the last period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 25 January 2007
	The criteria for granting refugee status to Iraqis, and other nationals, arriving in the UK are set out in the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, which are interpreted in domestic law in Part 11 of the Immigration Rules and in the Refugee or Person in Need of International Protection (Qualification) Regulations 2006 (SI 2525/2006).
	A copy of the Convention can be found at
	http://www.unhcr.org/directory.html.
	A copy of the Immigration Rules can be found at
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/immigrationrules/.
	A copy of the Regulation can be found at
	http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/uksi_20062525_en.pdf.
	Between January and September 2006, the latest published information indicates that 3 per cent. of initial decisions made in respect of Iraqi nationals were grants of asylum. Figures are provisional and relate to principal applicants only. Information on asylum applications, initial decisions and appeals by nationality are published quarterly and annually. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place for the selection and recruitment of people who handle asylum cases.

Liam Byrne: Staff are either recruited externally through fair and open competition in compliance with the Civil Service Commissioners Code or selected from amongst existing staff within the Home Office or other Government Departments.
	Depending upon the grade, candidates may have to satisfy academic requirements and / or undergo an assessment process including psychometric testing. Once recommended for appointment, prospective employees are subject to a range of pre employment checks including nationality and residence verification, immigration record checks and national security vetting.

Asylum Seekers

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what system his Department maintains to keep track of the location of asylum seekers' passports seized in raids of illicit immigration advisers.

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) has passport banks located throughout the United Kingdom at Local Enforcement Offices (LEOs) and other IND buildings. Each office keeps manual records of the passports contained within them.
	If a passport is found by police during an operation, unless it is required for a police investigation, it will be handed to an Immigration Officer, if in attendance, or to the appropriate LEO.

Asylum Seekers

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many children were detained in dawn raids on asylum seekers in each of the last two years;
	(2)  how many asylum seekers were detained in dawn raids before 8.00 am in each month of the last two years.

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) do not conduct 'raids' against asylum seekers. IND enforcement officers undertake operational visits to detain and remove persons who no longer have the right to remain in the United Kingdom (UK) and do so in line with operational policy and guidance.
	I am advised by the director general IND that internet records relating to the number of enforcement visits conducted are only readily available since 1 April 2005.
	Records indicate that 3,559(1) unsuccessful asylum seekers were arrested as a result of enforcement visits that commenced before 8.00 am. 92 per cent. of these arrests took place between the hours of 6.00 and 8.00 am. A breakdown of the number of arrests per month is set out in annex A.
	Records indicate that since 1 April 2005 until 16 January 2007, 1,373(1) minors were detained as a result of enforcement visits that commenced before 8.00 am. 93 per cent. of these arrests took place between 06.00 and 08.00. 523(1) minors were detained (between 1 April 2005-21 December 2005), 803(1 )minors were detained in 2006 and 47 minors have been detained up to 16 January 2007.
	The relatively high number of minors detained before 8.00 am reflects that if it is necessary for IND to enforce the removal of a family then in the interests of health and safety and to help minimise disruption, the visit will normally take place early in the morning when the family is most likely to be together. Visits will not normally take place before 6.30 am unless it is considered necessary. (The Family Removal Policy (EPU 2/06) is publicly available on the IND website.)
	(1) This is derived from provisional local management information which may be subject to change.
	
		
			  Annex A: Number of arrests per month 
			   Number of arrests 
			 April 2005 97 
			 May 2005 213 
			 June 2005 123 
			 July 2005 157 
			 August 2005 143 
			 September 2005 144 
			 October 2005 192 
			 November 2005 226 
			 December 2005 143 
			 January 2006 149 
			 February 2006 161 
			 March 2006 224 
			 April 2006 229 
			 May 2006 175 
			 June 2006 106 
			 July 2006 153 
			 August 2006 118 
			 September 2006 135 
			 October 2006 221 
			 November 2006 232 
			 December 2006 106 
			 Up to 16 January 2007 112 
			 Total 3,559

Asylum Seekers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the longest time is for which an asylum seeker whose case is still outstanding has remained in the UK; and what the cost has been of that case.

Liam Byrne: Electronic records relating to asylum applications are stored on the Case Information Database (CID). Records for many of the asylum cases which pre-dated the introduction of CID were later transferred to the system in bulk and contained default application dates. Several hundred of the oldest cases fall into this category and the individual paper files for each of them would have to be checked to identify the oldest outstanding case. Such checking would be at disproportionate cost.

Asylum Seekers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was spent in 2005-06 to support asylum seekers who were subsequently deported.

Liam Byrne: No figures are kept on the cost of supporting asylum seekers who are subsequently deported. These figures could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

British Citizens: Convictions Abroad

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures there are for adding onto the Police National Computer the details of those convicted overseas and then deported to UK prisons.

John Reid: holding answer 16 January 2007
	Recent events have made clear the complexity of the issues faced across Government and beyond. This is not helped by the differences in systems, procedures and criteria for recording and using for public protection, information about criminality in this country and outside the UK. I have therefore instigated a Government wide review of the way in which such information is shared and used.

British Citizenship

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons he has revoked British citizenship in the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: Citizenship has been revoked in one case. It was considered by my right hon. Friend that this was conducive to the public good. The case was terrorism-related.

British Citizenship

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who failed the Life in the UK test have been allowed to become UK citizens.

Liam Byrne: Those applying for naturalisation as British citizens are expected to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of English and of Life in the United Kingdom. This can be demonstrated by either passing a Life In the UK Test or by successfully completing an approved ESOL with citizenship course. Applicants can also claim exemption from the requirement on the grounds of age or long term physical or mental illness.
	Nobody has been granted British citizenship by naturalisation since this requirement was introduced without providing evidence that the requirement is satisfied or by being granted exemption from the requirement.

Conviction Notifications

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many conviction notifications his Department has sent to foreign  (a) governments and  (b) law enforcement agencies in each year since 1997, broken down by country to which the notification was sent.

John Reid: The latest available information was set out in my statements to the House of Commons dated 10 January and 16 January, and in the Home Office press statement issued on 13 January

Conviction Notifications

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to update the Police National Computer with information when individuals are deported by other governments to the UK on the grounds of a criminal conviction.

John Reid: Recent events have made clear the complexity of the issues faced across Government and beyond. This is not helped by the differences in the systems, procedures and criteria for recording and using, for public protection, information about criminality in this country and outside the UK. I have therefore instigated a Government wide review of the way in which such information is shared and used.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood of 2 November 2006 on behalf of Maguy Kalanga (Home Office reference number K1105786, acknowledgement number B27287/6).

Liam Byrne: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 23 November 2006 but I understand that my right hon. Friend has not received this correspondence. The letter will be reissued.

Criminal Justice Act

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many convicted murderers have had their tariff set after sentencing since the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 25 January 2007
	I have been asked to reply.
	No statistical data is kept in relation to the number of convicted murderers who have had their tariff set after sentencing since the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Criminal Justice Act

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many convicted murderers who have been sentenced are waiting for their tariff to be set by a High Court judge.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 25 January 2007
	I have been asked to reply.
	The position as at 23 January 2007 is that there are 313 cases waiting to have their tariff set by a High Court judge.

Criminal Record Exchange

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the correspondence between the Association of Chief Police Officers and his Department on the establishment, funding and operation of the UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records.

John Reid: The latest available information was set out in my statements to the House of Commons dated 10 January and 16 January, and in the Home Office press statement issued on 13 January.

Criminal Record Exchange

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what level of management a decision was taken on the Association of Chief Police Officers' request in October 2006 for additional funding for the UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records.

John Reid: The latest information was set out in my statements to the House of Commons dated 10 January and 16 January, and in the Home Office press statement issued on 13 January.
	I have asked for an urgent operational response involving the Association of Chief Police Officers, Criminal Records Bureau, Prisons and Probation in order to clear the backlog of overseas convictions notifications and have asked the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office to set up an inquiry into the Home Office's handling of these notifications. This will include a chronology of events, the practices and procedures in place at different times, whether appropriate action was taken; and the lessons to be learned.

Criminal Records Backlog

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign offence notifications he received in each of the last 10 years, broken down by country.

John Reid: holding answer 15 January 2007
	The latest available information was set out in my statements to the House of Commons dated 10 January and 16 January, and in the Home Office press statement issued on 13 January.

Criminal Records Backlog

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Statement of 10 January 2007,  Official Report, column 285, on the criminal records backlog, how many of the  (a) 29 paedophiles,  (b) 17 sex offenders,  (c) three people convicted of attempted rape and  (d) 25 people convicted of rape have been entered onto the Sex Offenders Register.

John Reid: holding answer 17 January 2007
	The latest available information was set out in my statements to the House of Commons dated 10 January and 16 January, and in the Home Office press statement issued on 13 January.

Criminal Records Backlog

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his statement of 10 January 2007,  Official Report, column 285, on the criminal records backlog, 
	(1)  how many of the 260 most serious offenders entered into the Police National Computer are working with vulnerable people;
	(2)  how many of the 260 most serious offenders are working (i) with children, (ii) in the education system, (iii) in the NHS, (iv) with the elderly and (v) with disabled people;
	(3)  how many of the 260 most serious offenders now entered into the Police National Computer have re-offended since notifications were made;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the number of British criminals convicted in non-Council of Europe countries who have been able to return to the UK without being registered on the Police National Computer;
	(5)  how many Association of Chief Police Officers staff have job responsibilities for clearing the backlog of 27,529 files; and how many had such responsibilities before 10 January;
	(6)  how many of the 260 of the most serious offenders whose files are on the Police National Computer the Criminal Records Bureau had checked on 12th January.

John Reid: The latest available information was set out in my statements to the House of Commons dated 10 January and 16 January, and in the Home Office press statement issued on 13 January.

Custody Cells

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many custody cells are available in Brecon and Radnorshire; and where they are situated.

Tony McNulty: The provision of policy custody accommodation is an operational matter for the chief constable.

Departmental Expenditure

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much programme expenditure sponsored by his Department was spent via each of the Government Offices for the Regions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The Crime and Drugs Directorate of the Home Office has recorded the following programme expenditure across the Government Office Network and Wales, for the 2004-05 financial year.
	The hon. Member may wish to be aware that, for 2006-07 and beyond, the Building Safer Communities Fund, (included within the 2004-05 programme spend figures in table) will form part of the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund. This is a pooled budget with contributions from the Home Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government and will no longer be expended through the Government Office Network in England.
	
		
			  Analysis of 2004-05 programme spend for the Government Office Network (including Wales) 
			  Government office for  2004-05 programme expenditure £000 
			 Wales 6,423 
			 London 21,839 
			 North West 18,025 
			 North East 7,409 
			 West Midlands 12,961 
			 East Midland 11,104 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 13,068 
			 East 10,651 
			 South East 15,355 
			 South West 10,456 
			 Total 127,291

Dog Fighting

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) arrests were made and  (b) convictions were obtained in (i) Leicester and (ii) Leicestershire for offences relating to organised dog fighting in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The information on arrests is not available. Information on arrests held centrally by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform covers persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences), by age group, gender, ethnicity and main offence group only within the 43 police force areas in England and Wales.
	Data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform court proceedings database for the number of defendants convicted of cruelty to animals within the Leicestershire Police force area, 2001-05 can be found in the attached table. Information held centrally does not enable offences relating to dog fighting to be separately identified from other offences involving cruelty to animals.
	
		
			  The number of defendants convicted of cruelty to animals under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 in Leicestershire Police force area and Leicester local justice area, 2001-2005( 1,2,3) 
			  Force/Area  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Leicester local justice area 8 16 13 7 10 
			 Other local Justice Areas within  
			 Leicestershire police force area 5 2 10 7 4 
			 Total (Leicestershire police force area) 13 18 23 14 14 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (3) It is not possible to separately identify those offences which relate to dog fighting.   Source:  RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Domestic Violence

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of domestic violence were recorded in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) Avon and Somerset and  (c) Taunton in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The British Crime Survey (BCS) routinely provides information on the number of incidents of domestic violence in England and Wales, but this is not broken down by region or police force area.
	The 2005-06 British Crime Survey estimated that there were in total 357,000 incidents of domestic violence in England and Wales. The number of incidents of domestic violence as measured by the BCS has decreased by 43 per cent. from 2001-02 to 2005-06 BCS interviews.
	
		
			  Number of BCS incidents of domestic violence, 2001-02 to 2005-06 
			  England and Wales 
			   Number 
			 2001-02 626,000 
			 2002-03 506,000 
			 2003-04 447,000 
			 2004-05 401,000 
			 2005-06 357,000 
			  Source: 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 British Crime Surveys

Dr. Andrew Lutakome Kayiira

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the report by Scotland Yard into the murder of Dr. Andrew Lutakome Kayiira in Uganda.

Tony McNulty: Publication of the report is a matter for the Government of Uganda.

Drink-driving

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to increase the consistency of the sentencing of those convicted of drink-driving offences.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 25 January 2007
	Sentencing guidelines for the 'drink driving' offences that are triable on summary conviction only (that is triable only in the magistrates courts) are included in the Magistrates Courts Sentencing Guidelines. These guidelines do not currently have any statutory force. However, they are in the process of being reviewed by the Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC), who now have responsibility for them. When the new guidelines are finalised, courts will be required to have regard to them or state the reasons for departing from them.
	The Sentencing Guidelines Council will prepare a guideline on the indictable only (i.e. triable in the Crown Court only) offence of causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs in due course.

Eagle Base: Bosnia

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether personnel from his Department have  (a) been posted to and  (b) visited Eagle Base in Tuzla, Bosnia since September 2001.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office does not have any record with  (a) being posted to, or  (b) visiting Eagle Base in Tuzla, Bosnia since September 2001.

Exit Checks

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of reintroducing exit checks at airports.

John Reid: Selective intelligence-led embarkation controls continue to take place at major ports to identify failed asylum seekers and other immigration offenders who are leaving the UK. We also retain the capacity to set up more extensive targeted controls at short notice when required.
	The e-Borders programme, scheduled to commence in 2008, will strengthen and modernise our border control and provide an electronic record of those entering and leaving the UK.

Extraditions

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures there are for adding those who are extradited from the UK to the Police National Computer.

John Reid: Recent events have made clear the complexity of the issues faced across government and beyond. This is not helped by the differences in systems, procedures and criteria for recording and using for public protection, information about criminality in this country and outside the UK. I have therefore instigated a government-wide review of the way in which information is shared and used.

Foreign National Criminals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has received from European accession states, including Bulgaria and Romania, on the number of nationals with criminal records who have moved to the UK since 2004; how many of this number committed serious crimes; and how much of this data has been transferred to the Police National Computer.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 15 January 2007
	The latest available information was set out in my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary's statements to the House of Commons dated 10 January and 16 January, and in the Home Office statement issued on 13 January.

Foreign National Prisoners

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals who have not been charged or convicted in UK courts are held in prison under anti-terror laws; and what the nationality is of each prisoner.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 27 November 2006
	None.

Foreign National Prisoners

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 781-82W, on foreign prisoner releases, what offences were committed by those foreign national prisoners released from HMP Peterborough in the 12 months to 31 March 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: [holding answer 25 January 2007): The requested information is not centrally recorded and could be obtained only by an examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.

Foreign National Prisoners

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners there are in England and Wales, broken down by country and by security category of each prison.

Liam Byrne: Information on the numbers of foreign national prisoners held in prison establishments in England and Wales, broken by  (a) European Union and  (b) other countries, and security category of prison establishment, can be found in the table.
	The data, which are obtained from the prison IT system, are not shown separately by nationality within individual prison establishment because the numbers are small and the accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level.
	
		
			  Foreign national prison population by EU/non-EU and prison, 31 October 2006 
			  Prison main function  All  EU countries  Non-EU countries 
			 All 11,083 2,332 8,750 
			 Category B 1,078 224 854 
			 Category C 3,235 670 2,566 
			 High security 292 61 230 
			 Female closed 211 52 160 
			 Female local 381 82 299 
			 Female open 15 5 10 
			 Male closed young offender 615 96 519 
			 Male juvenile 117 15 102 
			 Male local 4,225 1,018 3,207 
			 Male open 127 48 79 
			 Semi open 788 62 726

Foreign National Prisoners

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many foreign nationals were released from HMP Chelmsford immediately upon completing their sentence in each of the last five years; and what the  (a) average and  (b) longest time after the completion of sentence for the release of a foreign national from HMP Chelmsford in each year was;
	(2)  what the reasons were for the delays in releasing foreign national detainees who have completed their sentence at HMP Chelmsford; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Using data stored on the Prison IT system, comprehensive information on discharges is not available, and providing information based on manually stored records could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Harmondsworth

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department against what criteria his Department is entitled  (a) to withhold payments from the contractor,  (b) to fine the contractor and  (c) to terminate the contract with the contractor with regard to the contract with Kalyx concerning Harmondsworth detention centre.

Liam Byrne: The contract between the Secretary of State for the Home Department and Harmondsworth Detention Services Ltd. contains a range of remedies. In addition to a right of set off, there is also a mechanism for compensating the authority for performance failures.
	The contract does contain provisions allowing the authority to terminate the contract in certain circumstances. If the breach of contract is capable of being remedied, the contractor must be given an opportunity to rectify the breach before it is possible to proceed to termination.

Identity and Passport Service

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the research conducted into the location of the 69 Identity and Passport Service local offices.

Joan Ryan: I can confirm that a copy of the research conducted into the location of the 69 Identity and Passport Service local offices will be placed in the Library within the next two weeks.

Identity and Passport Service

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which private organisations data held by the Identity and Passport Service have been shared in each of the last two years; and for what purpose information was shared in each case.

Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service has not shared data with private organisations in the last two years.

Identity and Passport Service

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what purpose offices of the Identity and Passport Service are to be equipped with panic rooms.

Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service does not have 'panic rooms' in any of its offices. IPS interview offices are no different to those of most organisations dealing with the public in having a secure back office area for administrative purposes. Staff can move to this area from the public area should there ever be an incident.
	The company contracted to provide IPS with offices for its Interview Office Network incorrectly used 'panic rooms' to describe this office space in plans lodged with planning authorities in three locations.

Identity Theft

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many identity theft cases there have been in the UK since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The information requested is not available centrally. Offences of identity theft cannot be separately identified in the recorded crime series.

Identity Theft

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in  (a) West Lancashire constituency and  (b) England and Wales reported being victims of identity fraud in each of the last five years.

Joan Ryan: The information requested is not available centrally. Offences of identity fraud cannot be separately identified in the recorded crime series.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of allegations of criminal behaviour by Immigration and Nationality Directorate officials have not been reported to the police; and for what reason in each case.

Liam Byrne: All allegations of criminal behaviour by Immigration and Nationality Directorate officials are reported to the police.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long the longest outstanding complaints received by the immigration and nationality directorate have been unresolved; when the cases are expected to be resolved; and what the reasons are for the delay in each case.

Liam Byrne: The oldest outstanding complaint has a target date of 21 October 2005. The complaint is expected to be answered within the next two to three working days.
	The team dealing with this case is aware of the need to reduce the number of outstanding complaints and is taking steps to reduce waiting times.

Indefinite Leave to Remain

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken to determine applications for indefinite leave to remain in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 15 January 2007
	Managed Migration Directorate aim to decide applications according to their published service standards. These are to despatch 70 per cent. of charged postal applications within 20 working days and 90 per cent. within 70 working days. For non-charged postal applications, they aim to despatch 25 per cent. within 20 working days and 30 per cent. within 70 working days. Straightforward applications for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) are completed within this timescale, though more complex cases may take longer. There are no plans at present to reduce the time taken to determine indefinite leave to remain applications. The Asylum Casework Directorate has processed the great majority of family indefinite leave to remain cases and has no plans at present to assess the time required to resolve those that remain outstanding. Information on the Asylum Directorate's family ILR exercise is published quarterly and annually and is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Informants: Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is provided to managers within HM Prison Service on providing support to informants; how many managers received such training in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: No separate training records are held for managers trained before 2006. In 2004-05, 263 HM Prison Service staff were trained and 64 staff received training in 2005-06.
	In 2006,16 managers received a pilot of a new training package. The new package will be available for staff from March 2007. Awareness sessions have also been provided to governors and area managers in 2006-07.

Islamic Sharia Council

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether  (a) Ministers and  (b) civil servants in his Department have held meetings with the Islamic Sharia Council; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 22 January 2007
	Inquiries across the Department regarding meetings with the Islamic Sharia Council, have only revealed that the Muslim Adviser to the Prison Service had two meetings with the Islamic Sharia Council on 18 October 2005 at the House of Lords and 11 November 2005 at St. George's College in Windsor.

Milton Keynes Basic Command Unit

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in numbers of crimes recorded in Milton Keynes Basic Command Unit was in each year since 1997, broken down by category of crime.

Tony McNulty: Recorded crime by police basic command unit was collected centrally for the first time for the period beginning April 1999. For the year 1999-2000 data related to six selected offence groups only. Information for those selected offence groups are given in the table.
	
		
			  Recorded crime Milton Keynes Basic Command Unit 
			   1999-2000  2000-01  Percentage change 1999-2000 to 2000-01  2001-02  Percentage change 2000-01 to 2001-02 
			 Violence against the person 1,790 2,060 15 2,387 16 
			 Sexual offences 158 159 1 168 6 
			 Robbery 170 199 17 286 44 
			 Burglary in a dwelling 1,809 1,202 -34 1,222 2 
			 Theft from a vehicle 4,161 2,394 -42 2,960 24 
			 Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle 2,184 1,528 -30 1,411 -8 
		
	
	
		
			   2002-03( 1)  2003-04( 1)  Percentage change 2002-03 to 2003-04  2004-05( 1)  Percentage change 2003-04 to 2004-05  2005-06( 1)  Percentage change 2004-05 to 2005-06 
			 Violence against the person 3,257 3,512 8 4,881 39 5,373 10 
			 Sexual offences 227 241 6 364 51 305 -16 
			 Robbery 213 282 32 258 -9 290 12 
			 Burglary in a dwelling 1,315 1,171 -11 965 -18 990 3 
			 Theft from a vehicle 2,533 2,382 -6 2,555 7 2,334 -9 
			 Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle 1,137 1,107 -3 1,020 -8 846 -17 
			 (1) Data not comparable with earlier years following the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standards (NCRS) in April 2002.

Overseas Offences

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British citizens convicted abroad of sexual and or violent offences have been registered on the police national computer with an address in Wales.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 18 January 2007
	This information is not held in the form requested and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Questions

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to answer written parliamentary questions numbers  (a) 100956, on people granted temporary admission to the UK,  (b) 100759, on highly skilled migrants, and  (c) 100622, on officials at posts abroad, tabled on 15 November 2006 for answer on 20 November 2006; and what the reasons are for the delay in replying.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 December 2006
	I replied to the hon. Member  (a) on 14 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1328W;  (b) on 23 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1693W.
	My hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, North (Joan Ryan) replied to  (c) on 18 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1291W.

Prisoners and Detainees: False Addresses

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigrants awaiting deportation who have absconded gave non-existent residency addresses in the last two years.

Liam Byrne: The information is not held in the requested format and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to install modesty screens around every lavatory in shared cells in HMP Chelmsford; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The senior management team at Chelmsford prison is considering the best way to proceed with the installation of privacy screens. It is intended that work will begin in April 2007.

Prisons

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inmates of HMP Channings Wood, Denbury were diagnosed with a mental illness in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not held centrally.

Prisons

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many doubled cells there are in HMP Channings Wood; how many of these are without screens around the lavatory; and what steps he has taken to ensure the adequate supply of screens.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are 33 double cells at Channings Wood; all of which have privacy screens around the lavatory.

Prisons

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in England and Wales have absconded from custody in each of the last 10 years; and how many have not been caught.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table sets out how many prisoners have absconded from open prisons and escorts in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.
	Accurate figures for recaptured prisoners are currently available only at a disproportionate cost. However, validation of management information has shown that around three quarters of all absconders are returned to prison within 12 months of absconding.
	
		
			  Absconds from open prisons and escorts in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years 
			   Number 
			 1996-97 1,115 
			 1997-98 1,056 
			 1998-99 969 
			 1999-2000 907 
			 2000-01 787 
			 2001-02 782 
			 2002-03 950 
			 2003-04 1,310 
			 2004-05 877 
			 2005-06 709

Public Sector Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cash equivalent transfer value is of the public sector pensions of the 10 highest paid members of staff in his Department and its executive agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office calculates Cash Equivalent Transfer Values (CETV) for board level staff on an annual basis. The results for the core Department and Executive Agencies are published in the appropriate Annual Reports. When the exercise was completed for the financial year 2005-06, the top earners were employed primarily by the Home Office and Prison Service. Their annual reports can be found on official departmental websites using the following links. Details of CETV figures for staff in the Criminal Records Bureau and Identity and Passport Service can also be found online using the following links. Each annual report includes further information on the principles of CETV and the basis for their calculation.
	Home Office Resource Accounts 2005-06 (pages 48 to 50 refer):
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/resource-accounts_0506?view=Binary
	HMPS Annual Report and Accounts 2005-06 (pages 51 to 53 refer):
	http://www.noms.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-publications-events/publications/strategy/HMPS_Annualreport_2006/hmps_audited_financial_accounts?view=Binary
	Criminal Records Bureau Annual Report and Accounts 2005-06 (pages 24 to 26 refer):
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0506/hc15/1527/1527.pdf
	United Kingdom Passport Service Annual Report and Accounts 2005-06 (pages 46 to 51 refer):
	http://www.passport.gov.uk/downloads/HC1544_UKPS.pdf

Schengen Information System

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK citizens have had their data placed on the Schengen Information System.

Liam Byrne: This information is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Statistics

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which statistics released by his Department and its agencies are classified as  (a) national statistics and  (b) official statistics; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 16 January 2007
	A list of the titles of all of the National Statistics produced by each Department and Agency was placed in the Library of the House on 8 January 2007 to accompany the Second Reading of the Statistics and Registration Bill. An equivalent list was also placed on the National Statistics website. Theses list can be accessed using the following URL:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/ns_ons/nsproducts/default.asp
	In addition to National Statistics, the Home Office publishes a wide range of other numerical information in a variety of forms including other data produced from the management and administration of the Department and in research reports. We are currently working to review this data, however there is not currently a complete centrally held list of all information published by the Home Office.

Street Robberies

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many street robberies were committed in Lancashire in the last 12 months; and how many were committed on 11 to 16 year olds.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 24 January 2007
	The recorded crime statistics, collected centrally, relate to numbers of offences. The series does not contain information on victims or offenders.
	Muggings are classified as robbery of personal property.
	The available information is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Offences of robbery of personal property in Lancashire police force area, 2005-06 
			  Basic command unit  Robbery of personal property 
			 Lancashire Central 204 
			 Lancashire Eastern 183 
			 Lancashire Northern 81 
			 Lancashire Southern 88 
			 Lancashire Western 171 
			 Pennine 177 
			 Total 904

Translation Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what documents his Department and its agencies translate for people in the UK who do not speak English; into which languages such documents are translated; and what the cost was of producing such translations in each of the last five years, broken down by language of translation.

Liam Byrne: Any document for which an operational need for translation arises, within the Department and any of its executive agencies, may be translated. A central record is not maintained historically.
	Expenditure depends on patterns of language usage, and its variable demand in any period. No collated expenditure figure for all parts of the Department is maintained.

Trespass: Schools

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of trespass into school properties in the city of Leicester were reported in the last 12 months; and how many trespassers caught were aged under 10 years.

Tony McNulty: Data on trespass are not collected centrally. Trespass is a summary offence and as such is not included in the recorded crime data series.

Under-age Drinking

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1165W, on under-age drinking, why the full amount has not yet been paid out.

John Reid: The Home Office made available £350,000 for this campaign. Local Trading Standards areas were then invited to make bids to the Home Office for funding according to their own local assessment of their capacity to conduct test purchases and the number of test purchases they proposed to conduct. All of the bids received from local areas were approved. On the basis of work they then conducted, local trading standards areas have received £303,481 of Home Office funding in the current financial year.

Violent Crime: Public Transport

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal offences involving violence were carried out on public transport in each year since 1997, broken down by mode; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Violent crime data for each year since 1997 can be found in Home Office Statistical Bulletin No. 12/06 available online at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html
	From the information collected centrally it is not possible to identify where the violence occurred or the individual circumstances of the offence.

War Criminals

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to cross-check the names of former German prisoners of war still resident in the UK from the Second World War with the United Nations list of suspected war criminals.

Tony McNulty: The UN War Crimes Commission's lists of suspected war criminals were incorporated into the Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects (CROWCASS) created by the UK and USA in 1945. CROWCASS lists were issued to appropriate UK authorities and war crimes investigators at the time. The 1989 War Crimes Inquiry report also noted that the members of the 14th Waffen SS (Galizien) Division were later checked against the UNWCC lists before their civilianisation, although the report acknowledged that the UNWCC lists included few suspects identified from the territories controlled by the Soviet Union.
	It would be an operational matter for the police to consider whether to search any particular records, but it is likely to be of limited evidential value unless conducted in the context of a particular criminal investigation. I understand that the police have searched for former members of the 14th Waffen SS Division still residing in the UK against the extensive database of persons suspected of war crimes held by the US Department of Justice Office of Special Investigations (OSI).

War Criminals

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what police resources are allocated to the investigation of Second World War criminals who may be resident in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Metropolitan police has the lead responsibility in the UK for the investigation of crimes against humanity, including allegations arising from the Second World War. The Crimes Against Humanity Unit has a core staff of two officers and administrative support drawn from the Anti-Terrorist Branch and additional resources are allocated according to operational requirements.

War Criminals

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made in identifying former members of the SS Galizien division resident in the UK who are suspected of war crimes in the Second World War; how many former SS Galiziens are resident in the UK; how many of them  (a) have been positively cleared of involvement in war crimes and  (b) (i) are war crimes suspects, (ii) have been interviewed as to their possible involvement in war crimes, (iii) have known addresses and remain to be interviewed and (iv) have unidentified addresses; what steps are being taken to identify their present whereabouts; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: No specific allegation of war crimes has been received against any former member of the 14th Waffen SS (Galizien) Division resident in the UK. Police inquiries in 2003 indicated that 1,450 ex-Galizien were still resident in the UK. The Metropolitan police visited a sample 13 former members in 2005 to ascertain any information about crimes against humanity but no such crimes were disclosed.

War Criminals

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has had with the authorities in  (a) the USA,  (b) Germany,  (c) Poland,  (d) Hungary,  (e) Belarus,  (f) Georgia,  (g) Russia,  (h) Estonia,  (i) Latvia,  (j) Lithuania,  (k) Ukraine,  (l) the Czech Republic and  (m) Slovakia (i) to establish best practice links and procedures with stakeholders in the prosecution of alleged Nazi war criminals and (ii) to identify alleged Nazi criminals resident in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: There have not been any recent bi-lateral discussions with the countries listed about alleged Nazi war criminals in the UK, but officials from the Home Office have participated in meetings of the European Network of Contact Points on genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, most recently in May 2006, to exchange information and best practice with our European partners. Police investigators and prosecutors may also seek assistance from authorities in other countries to identify and prosecute war criminals using established procedures for police and judicial co-operation.

War Criminals

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the letter of 11 August from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Hendon, what progress has been made to ascertain from the German authorities whether any German pensions paid to UK residents have been withdrawn on suspicion that the recipient was involved with war crimes in the Second World War; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Metropolitan Police made a request to the German authorities to establish whether they could supply details of any person in the UK whose pension had been withdrawn because of involvement in war crimes, but no information has been received to date.

Wildlife Crime Unit

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Metropolitan Police's Wildlife Crime Unit will close in 2007-08.

Tony McNulty: This is a matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.